18. Joshua Tree National Park

May 8-9

18. Joshua Tree National Park, California Photo Album

Hey everyone,

We started our day fixing our mirror which had fallen off at Lake Havasu...then we were off towards California at the Joshua tree national Park. We pulled up to the campground called Black rock Canyon campground and then decided to hike up to one of the peaks near our site. We had difficulty finding the trail head for the peak and then  came across an ex- Marine who was shooting squirrels with his pellet  gun on his property cuz they were "vermin around here" so we asked him for some help and he pointed us in the right direction. It was about a 30  minute hike up the mountain ...as usual look outs on top of mountains are absolutely beautiful .

The next day we got up early because we needed and oil change.... so we went to Walmart then off tot the national Park. Upon arrival to the park we were quite surprised to see how many boulders were there in fact just as many boulders as Joshua trees. Our first stop was the cholla cactus garden ...it was quite interesting to read about about the different types of cacti and how they survive in these extreme conditions. The layout is similar to the petrified national forest whereby you drive along this huge park and you pull off at the specified locations where they want to show you some pretty neat stuff.



Our second stop was the skull rock .....as you can  see from the photos the boulders shape resemble a skull ...we found others like the old man....the big toe....etc. We also decided to go check out Barker Dam ..only we got lost there again!!!  we started off on the trail and somehow we went off trail for about an hour and retraced out steps and found barker dam. Barker damn isn't as attractive after 1.5 hour hile to go see it....arghhhhhh.......  We headed over to  hidden Valley for a picnic lunch...this was was kinda  cool because you picnic  amidst the boulders....they provided shade and very pleasant view. Finally to finish off for day we went up to Keys View which was a good 10 to 15 minute drive up the mountain over 5000 feet in elevation and the view was absolutely fantastic .....wowwwwww....we were able to see the Coachella Valley .....Salton Sea..... Palm Springs and the San Andreas Fault ......big caveat .....there's also quite a lot of haze which was quite apparent....... caused by the pollution in California....what a shame!!!!!

The part about travelling that we love is meeting people.....today we  met a very young couple from Texas named Kelly , Christopher and their baby Ezra. Christopher was so familiar to us because he look just like my sister's nephew Christopher Neves. We chatted with them for 10 minutes or so and took some photos and went on our way. We also met Sandra and Rohan from Australia...they helped us get back on track when we came off the trail while bouldering..... were super nice.... they are visiting the area here for eight weeks or so. We were going to stay for the sunset but we were tired and hungry because we got lost twice so we headed back to camp had supper...did some star gazingand called it a night..... ... we enjoyed our stay here at Joshua tree....tomorrow we're off to San Diego...



PS the Joshua Tree is not a succulent as many believe....it got its name from Mormons who said it resembled Joshua praying with arms spread to the sky.....

love always
Mary and Peter.

17. Sedona and Lake Havasu Arizona

May 3, 2017


Sedona and Lake Havasu, Arizona Photo Album

good morning,,,,

I want to go have one last look at the Grand Canyon before we left for Sedona ,  so we did just that......and the canyon was just as magical and as s spectacular as the first time I set eyes on her three days earlier !!! Except this time we met a nice French couple from Calais....we chit chatted for a while then hit the road for Sedona. The drive was easy, only 3 1/2 hours...we were  aback by all the beautiful rock formations that surrounding  the city.....kinda reminded me of Jasper with the Rockies in the background except here we have the Canyon formations....one word simply beautiful ....we immediately  we set off for the shops area did a little bit of shopping ....we stayed at Dead Horse Ranch State Park about 20 minutes south of Sedona in the town of Cottonwood.

The next day we decided to hike up to the famous Cathedral Rock ....we decided we were gonna start to go up as much as we could and take frequent break in the unbearable heat. So we did....the climb up was tough on the old cardio but technically not bad at all....there was one section that was steep but a crevice gave us extra security to scale the rocks....anyway we made it the "NOTCH" and the view was absolutely  spectacular....so we took a few photos and hustled down cuz we had a reservation for a pink jeep sunset tour of a local canyon at 5:30. We learned a lot about these very old rock formations and enjoyed the sunset in the canyon. Coming down was more fun and easier than i thought it would be....i am super happy we hiked to top ... it felt super good... a real confidence booster....oh yeah we also went to the famous church on the rocks...

we had an awesome time and day in Sedona....highly recommend it...


Lake Havasu

wow who knew??? Lake Havasu is a mega water playground, resort town complete with speed boat races , which were cancelled because of the wind. We met a local couple, Tammie and Dave who were super nice and extremely hospitable ..so they extremely affable and we hit it off right away......they invited us out for supper at a local Mexican restaurant where they were celebrating Cinco de Maio. What an awesome night!! Huge shout out to them for making our stay here very nice ...someday we'd like to repay them with our Canadian hospitality...

Also, Lake Havasu is also the location of the original London Bridge.....which was not sound enough to support modern traffic in London England , was put up for sale.... so a local man bought it for 2.1 million ...had it dismantled and each brick was numbered, then rebuilt here in the 70's ....who knew??? tomorrow were off to Joshua Tree National Park.....

love always

Mary and Peter

16. The Grand Canyon (Mary's Birthday)

THE GRAND CANYON , Walnut Canyon and Little Colorado River Gorge❤️❤️
April 30, May 1-2

Walnut Canyon and Gorge Photo album


Grand Canyon Photo Album

April 30th, 2017

After a good breakfast we headed towards Flagstaff.

 saw a sign for Walnut Canyon which is a national monument and decided to check it out. It was very impressive, with a long trail that led down into the canyon and through several cliff dwellings, we decided to pass on the walk but enjoyed the views and the info center then were on our way. We spoke to a woman at a gas station and decided to take the east entrance into the park. It was longer but more scenic. We stopped at a smaller canyon on the Little Colorado River, Mary bought herself a birthday present at a roadside Hopi Indian craft stand and then we proceeded into the park. We stopped at the Watch Tower and were blown away by how beautiful and immense the canyon is. The watch Tower is built in the native style and gives amazing views of the canyon, very well done. We were amazed at the way people would walk past the guard rails and down paths that lead out onto rocks that were in fact the edge of cliffs, some climbed onto rock towers to have their picture taken. One missed step or stumble would result in a 1000 ft fall and certain death but they posed and took selfies, it was hard to watch.

The views from all around the tower take your breath away, pictures and words cannot convey the feelings you get when you see this magnificent wonder of nature. We took picture after picture, for a place with so many people it was fairly quiet as people gazed in wonder, there was a sense of reverence. That happened over and over again as each new view or change in light made the canyon more beautiful. We stopped at 3 vistas on the way in each one with incredible views then decided to head for our campsite. The site was fine and we headed out to see our first canyon sunset. After a bit of a scramble we managed to find a place to watch the sun go down, it was great.

May 1st, 2017

When Mary got up the girl from the next campsite asked if she knew how to boost a car because her battery was dead. We helped her get it started then invited them over for breakfast. Marine from France was visiting her friend Charline, who was also french but working in California. They were camping and travelling together and were a joy to get to know. They reminded us so much of our wonderful friend Annaick as they shared their stories with us. After breakfast we headed to the visitor center to watch a video on the canyon and the decided to head back out in the direction we came in and finish the rest of the stops we missed the day before. Wanting to see the tower again we ran into Charline and Marine again and took more pictures with them. We again said our goodbyes and worked our way back towards the village stopping to marvel and take pictures at each stop along the way. After supper we headed out for sunset #2, this time we knew what we were doing, we went to Mathers point where we could watch the setting sun reflect on the eastern end of the canyon.

May 2nd, 2017

We got up early 4:30 and headed out to Mathers point again this time to watch the sun rise. After breakfast we took the shuttle bus and explored the western end of the canyon stretching from the Bright Angel Hotel to Hermit's Rest. There are 9 stops each with it's own perspective view of the canyon. We met a couple from Brampton and walked between one of the stops with them. We went to every point in the west side all the way to Hermit's Rest. This is a national park so it's very we'll maintained and run... there's a freeshuttle bus that takes you along the western rim in fact cars 🚗 aren't allowed on the west side. On the way back we decided to walk down the Bright Angel Trail for about 100 m or so ... this trail takes you right down to the canyon floor ... soooo cool...

Mary's Perspective

The whole point of this trip for me was to make it to the Grand Canyon for my birthday. We entered the park from the eastern side and went to the first lookout  called the watchtower. As you're walking along you see people coming back from the tower on you're wondering what have you seen?  what was I going to see? ....  I'm the rookie here  and they've taken at all in ....😳..... So with anticipation and butterflies in my stomach we want the lawn and then this vision appeared before my eyes it was the most spectacular view I have ever seen😲the EARTH opened up below us and the cliffs....the buttes ....the faults and the Colorado River were right there.... before my very eyes. I cried. The immense size overwhelmed all of my senses .... words cannot describe what I saw !!!  My 55th birthday was so special being here in the canyon with Peter... we enjoyed the eastern 👀 lookouts al day then went back to camp ... had a delicious fajita supper followed by a birthday pie in the most serene place on earth 🌏 perfection !!!! I will most definitely come back I don't think this place ever yes old !!!!❤️❤️❤️

15. Petrified Forest National Monument , Arizona

April 29th, 2017

15. Petrified Forest Monument Photo Album

hello everyone,

we hope you're all doing well ...... we are well into the groove of travelling in our van and visiting so many cool places....and the Petrified Forest is another example.  Last night we stayed in a hotel... a much needed stay I must say. We were running out of clothes and gettin' a little run down, peter and i got  the sniffles .....perhaps a cold was looming...so sleeping in a bed was very welcome, in addition to getting our laundry done.

Next morning we set off to the National Monument.....man oh man did we have a tough driving day. not only were we driving over mountains to get to the other side we encountered inclement weather...from rain....no wait it's sleet....no way!!! it's snow....at 8000 feet on top of a mountain...wowwww seriously...... we left Montreal because of snow.!!!! anyway we drove slowly and came into a town town called Pie Town....well of course we needed to stop and check out the pies...well after a $7 (USD) piece of pie....we hit the road again...and it was mediocre at best!!!


Well we  finally arrived at the monument....we thought we were gonna see some petrified wood here and there...nooooooo....we drove a 28 mile route right through the park and saw many beautiful sites....my personal favorite was the painted desert....the way it works is to drive along and stop your car at specified lookouts and voila...feast your eyes on the immense beauty before you. We enjoyed our day more than we thought, even though the weather did not cooperate with us cuz we were freezing.....we got snowed on and the wind howled and blew us around repeatedly. The Blue Mesa was also spectacular.

After several hours making our way through the park we headed for our next campsite at Homolovi Ruins State Park. When we arrived it was cold and windy so we decided to head into Winslow to prepare and shop for the next three days. Before heading to Walmart we looked for a place for Peter to "stand on the corner" after all we were in Winslow, Arizona. After driving on Rt. 66 for a few kilometers we stumbled on a sign that listed some of Winslow's landmarks including "Standin' on the Corner" Park. There was a mural and two statues honoring the song along with the standard gift shop. A steady stream of people arrived took pictures and left while Eagles music played from across the street.

After shopping we returned to the campsite in the dark only to find someone in our reserved spot. It was dark and when we confronted the woman who claimed she had arrived late and had not seen the reserved sign. We went to speak to the camp host, he said we could take another site or he could make her move. We had calmed down a bit and decided just to take another site, so we drove over and told the woman to stay where she was. The next morning we met a couple from Venice, Florida who had converted a van ( Bobb and Trish) and were travelling around the way we were. Bobb's van was a little better equipped than ours, he had everything. We slept well and had a good shower so all's well.... Tomorrow we head for the Grand Canyon and Mary's birthday.

fyi the lovely family we met at breakfast were super nice....Alexandre from France and Shawna his wife along with cooper and Zoe...they live in Phoenix ...loved chattin with them and exchangin' phone numbers....hopefully we'll see them in Montreal one day!

14. White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

April 27

14. White Sands National Monument, New Mexico Photo Album

Today's big trip was going to the White Sands national Monument. We packed up our stuff and bid adieu to Waco tanks and hit the open road. Once again we were not used to driving in this weather of wind gusts that come from the side while driving over a Mountain and nearly takes you out !!!! WOWWWW

Anyway, we arrived at the park and immediately meet a super sweet young couple. Will and Erica 20 and 19 years old and basically doing the same trip we're doing ....in a car with a dog....wow...pretty impressive.....so we took a few pics and parted ways....

we had a blast in this white oasis!!!

love always
Mary and Peter

13. Hueco Tanks, El Paso, Texas

April 25-26

Hueco Tanks State Park, Texas


We were so pleasantly surprised by this State Park. We didn't think we get so much out of it. Jose our park host,, in the red shirt and black dog in the album, was very pleasant man. He introduces to the park by showing us 15 minute video on the history of the park. Well we hit it off cuz we hung out with him and  his wife Imelda at their site for the evening. They told us about Sparky's restaurant and La Paloma Hot springs since these were both on our way to our next destination. Well we followed through on both counts and enjoyed a world famous green chili burger as well as indulge in some natural hot springs to soak our achy bones after all we did a 5 hour hike earlier in the day.

Here's a brief summary of the history of this park:

The rock was formed beneath the earth's surface 34 million years ago, as magma pushed into and older limestone formation and then cooled. Over millennia, weathering processes eroded the overlying limestone and sculpted the now exposed igneous rock into its present forms. Hollows (huecos) capture precious rainfall.

these formations rise above the Chihuahuan desert floor to mark an oasis of nature and culture. thousands of pictographs left behind by prehistoric and historic native Americans.

The next day we took a 5 hour tour to explore 30 of these masks. Our guide Jorge was very knowledgeable and passionate about the history of this magical place, It was supposed to be a 3.5 hour hike but he kept saying ok....one more bonus mask....one more bonus mask....you're such a special group so i'm gonna show you 1 more mask...let's just slide down this rock into this cave....that's pretty much how dialogue went all afternoon....no breaks whatsoever. As you can see from the photos we had a blast and are blessed o have been a part of this place.


In the evening we went to have that delicious burger and hot springs....what a day....another 10/10


love always
Mary and Peter.

12. Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico

April 24. 2017

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12. Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico Photo Album

We were so excited for this trip so we got an early start and left the beautiful Balrmorhea park behind us and hit the road again. The drive was straight and narrow as far as the eye can see!!! As we saw the Guadalupe Mountains in the distance we notice at the vey top some buildings ... the entrance to the bat cave!!!!

There are 2 options to enter the cave ... a natural entrance which is a mile long walk on a steep path deep down into the bowels  of the earth and the 2nd option is an elevator . We opted to walk down ... an what a treat it was ... it was kinda scary and creepy but the path is well maintained and you immediately start to see the stalactites and stalagmites that were lit up. I'm sooooo glad we decided to come on a Monday cuz yesterday was the last day of free national parks day and this place was crawling with visitors .... instead we had the cave to ourselves which added to magical feeling of exploring the cavernous spaces below. Peter and I couldn't stop taking photo after photo because we were in such awe.... every corner we took a new vision of wonderful formations greeted us . The walk down was about 1 hour and we opted to rent the audio tour which was fantastic because then narrator would tell us some facts about the cave at specified numbered locations. 

We finally arrived down into the big room, which is really three rooms and once again we were like  kids a at a candy shop ... look at this !!! Look at that!!! Wowwww... it took us about another 3 hours to explore the whole cave . The lighting was sublime !!! They hired a Hollywood lighting company  to setup the lighting ,they were really good  emphasizing certain formations with lights. The photo album includes all the facts, such as how it was formed , when , etc about this cave so have a quick peek at the photos !  The only way out today the cave is to take he elevator up ... no one is allowed to walk out !!!

At first we were daunted being so deep below the steer level but we wouldn't have missed it !!! It was by far one of the highlights of this trip !!

Love ❤️ always 

Mary & Peter