Time taken to explore more National Parks

Once you get to this part of the country it certainly pays to slow down and enjoy the views.  No longer are the lands mostly flat lands common on the most northern states, the topography radically changes as you drive south/southwest through Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico.

Views are often worth a stop in many places but of course the views in our National Parks are tops.

I was able to see several in just a few short days and in 2 weeks or so, visited a half dozen.  I lingered a bit in Bryce NP, Lees Ferry and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, taking time to smell the roses.

Arches NP was my first NP on this trip.

Canyon Lands NP had near total lack of a campsite for my 40' motor home, so just drove in to the end of the road, stopped for an hour or so, then left.  Beautiful views in there, beautiful.

AS ALWAYS,     'CLICK ON ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT'.

Natural Bridges NP is just that, an area of eroded rock sculpted by time, water and wind.

Capital Reef NP was different from either of the above and worth the time to visit.  Either of these can be a destination in itself.  I was just lucky enough to have the time and vehicle to enjoy them all in succession.

Bryce NP was next and I stayed for 5 days.

 There was no electrical hookups inside the park, but I ran my generator 2 hrs in the morning and and an hour late afternoon to keep the battery bank up.  That is the only choice available for anyone camping and needing electricity there.

I had to chuckle at some of these locations as some from out of the country have sent these off the road type vehicles..

 I wonder where they think they will 'be allowed' to take them?  We protect our lands, at least the most beautiful.
 A few interesting rental RV vans seem to be coming out of California.. Neat Idea!

The company apparently allows local artists to 'do their thing' in return for national recognition/advertising.

Along the road...another interesting RV !

I did some driving to get over to Lake Powell and the Hoover Dam but it was all worth it. A very nice drive overall and always found a spot to park for the night...again..with views and privacy.

I took a chance/late, but was lucky enough to reserve a Campsite on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon for the last 3 days 2017 of the season.  Note though, that while Reservation.gov showed nearly NO vacancies, the park was 90% empty.  Go figure!!

Before I arrived at the North Rim, I stayed 80 miles east of there at Lees Ferry.  A small park and usually full but I was lucky again...and got a nice spot to park in with a fabulous view.  I ended up staying a couple of days, hiking and taking long walks..and eating well.   Very relaxing.

The Grand Canyon sadly was full of smoke so visibility was terrible.  The Governor even called to stop the Park Service from doing their 'prescribed burns' at least long enough to let visibility clear.

The views improved in a day and better in 2, but the quiet, due to lack of tourists was wonderful.  The negative was, the Parks Lodge restaurant and all other tourist facilities were closed for the last 2 weeks.  The park closes Nov. 1st, but the facilities close Oct. 15th.

Pittsburg to Aspen...the LONG way.

Of the lower 48 states, I had been to all except Michigan.  A few years ago, I had opted to accompany an older gentleman who had served in WWll on a trip called "The Honor Flight".  These trips occur all across America.  American airlines donates the planes and crews, the organization locates the WWll vets and volunteers, pay their own way, to be an assistant if needed to each vet on a day trip from a major airport to Washington DC for a day.
I had stayed connected with the Vet and his wife, but was going to surprise him and pay him a visit in at his assisted living facility in Michigan.  I had his contact info and address, so after my stint in Kittanning, PA volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, I drove north into Michigan.

Well, the surprise did not work. For nearly a week, I tried to call he and his wife's # but no one answered.  No contact was made. (I've called numerous times since...but still no contact.)
..... My choice then was simple. Drive north through Michigan and over the Mackinac Bridge

 into the Upper Peninsula of the state.  I  heard it was beautiful.  It was!

I had friends that lived just a bit SW of the crossing point and made arrangements to visit them in a couple of day.  In the mean time, I drove to the furthest point of land in the NE of Michigan's Upper Peninsula to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point.

                                          Coast Guard Station and Light House at Whitefish

 Took a tour of the Light House while I was there and what a great view from the top!

The Museum not only had artifacts from many of the ships sunk over the centuries, but an interesting display throughout, that told the story of the European settlers entry into the region.
Museum Website

I stayed overnight in a small State Park before and after, then headed south west along the coast of Lake Michigan for my upcoming visit with friends Mary and David, eating well, having some laughs and good conversations.

 Special treat was a picnic at a remote little park on the water, where David grilled some hot dogs. Wonderful day.

Soon though I was on the road and decided to take Rt. 2 west, as it runs just under the Canadian border, an area I've never seen. Very decent road, wonderful country and smaller towns.  So much better than interstate travel!  Twas a good move and stayed near the border until I entered Montana, then began dropping south through Wyoming and towards Salt Lake, Utah.  Beautiful scenery along the way and made stops at special places.

                                          Weather stayed perfect, clear skies and mild temps.

                                         Every day, the landscape changed several times.

Of course, sooner or later, weather changes and I saw it coming. Drove a little bit further into  Delicate Arch National Park and sat out the freezing rain and sleet.

Had to be at my next assignment for Habitat, in Silt, Colorado (Oct. 1st) soon, so with the exception of one more visit with friends in Sheridan, Wyoming, I drove daily to wonderful scenic locations on my way to Silt.  Had a lovely time of it.

Habitat for Humanity, Kittanning, Pa.

Driving north from Florida to help with a HFH build in Saxton, Pennsylvania, I was diverted to Kittanning, Pa. The reason surprisingly was Hurricane Harvey.  A crew of NCCC (the new version of the old Civilian Conservation Corps- CCC)workers in Kittanning were sent to Houston to help out, leaving a very short labor force behind. I was sent to help out.



Arrived finally at the Wheel In Campground 10 pm in rain.  Very nice but remote. Pete loved his morning and evening walks, often around farm fields and always along the stream.

The campers there were 'regulars', who leave their trailers and seem to use them as weekend get-aways/2nd homes.  Jovial bunch with dogs and kids and totally enjoying their fire pits and barbeque's.

One gent kept his 1960 Fire Truck in the Campgrounds barn, taking it out for a run around the camp and local parades.

The local Habitat for Humanity affiliate was in the process of building 2 high tech homes. Sloping property and basement heights added to difficulty working on the exterior. Scaffolding and other platforms had to be built for safe working conditions.

Built for solar benefits as well as massively insulated, the living room will have (4)  5' x 6' triple pane windows.  Ceilings had to be sheathed, then 2x4" runners added for attaching 5/8" Sheetrock.  Overkill in my estimation and way above what "Habitat's phrase of decent, affordable housing" means to me. Oh well.

Adding scaffolding on this sloping terrain proved to be a Rubics Cube of a problem. The fill dirt was full of rocks,  concrete and metal junk, so getting a level surface for each foot proved difficult. However, all window efforts required a platform from which to work.

Left after the windows were framed out for the additional Dow Board insulation, that still needed to be installed on the exterior, having put in my 10 work days.

However, Sunday I drove to the nearby town of Ford City, Pa., that originally had 3 Catholic churches.  Over time, the lack of funds, forced closure and the sale of 2 of them.  The 3rd has been kept open and is a beautiful example of turn of the century churches.  Time changes all things...........

  Now driving north to explore Michigan and it's upper peninsula. Got to visit with a co worker up there and now heading to Colorado exploring the US most northern road, Route 2.