This is Zion National Park in Utah...we drove over there after leaving Bryce Canyon. We liked it alot better because you could easily get to the bottom of the canyon and enjoy the rock formations from down below.  At the Grand Canyon everything was just so vast and we were not about to get on a mule to trek to the bottom.  Peggy said no to the mule and I said no to hiking the Bright Angel Trail into the canyon...so we stayed up top.  In Zion we took the shuttle buses right down in and hiked a few trails that weren't too steep.

At Bryce Canyon I spotted this sign on the back of our cabin door...I didn't realize it meant that I would be awake all nite listening to a mouse chewing on one of our plastic bags...

Our next stop was Bryce Canyon.  This is the lodge where we stayed.  We had our own private cabin right on the rim trail.  So, all we had to do was walk out our door, grab our back packs and get hiking.

After our Rainbow Bridge trip, we came back into Page, Arizona to find a laundromat.  We found one right next to this Mexican Restaurant.  After the laundry was done, it was Margarita time for Margaret. This drink may have been named for her.  

The next day Peggy and I went on a float trip on Lake Powell down to the Rainbow Bridge. This trip was alot of fun. Lake Powell is a very cool resort which is a huge oasis in the middle of the desert. We were on the water for about 2 hours to get to Rainbow Bridge. Once we reached land, we hiked more than a mile inland to see this beautiful bridge.  This is a great excursion if you are ever at Lake Powell.

We rode this Hummer all over Navajo land to get to the Secret Slot Canyon on Saturday afternoon.  It was only Peggy and I and the guide because we had the last tour of the day. This tour was one of the most interesting things I have ever done.  Our guide was very knowledgeable about all of the animals in the canyon.

After breakfast in Cameron, we headed straight north to Page, Arizona to Lake Powell.  this is the resort where we stayed for two nights. The first day there we took a hummer tour that took us deep into the Secret Slot Canyon on the Navajo reservation. The tour turned out to be a private tour because it was just Peggy, myself and Brian, our guide.  

We left the Grand Canyon and headed North towards Page, Arizona which was our next stop.  We had to pass through Cameron, Arizona as soon as we got out of the Grand Canyon.  Cameron has a huge old trading post with great food.  So, we stopped and had a Mexican breakfast there.  Yum!

We got to the Grand Canyon on Thursday and hiked the rim trail for about 4 miles.  We had a great time at the El Tovar and the food was good, too.  The only bad thing was their air conditioning system was sort of wonky and we couldn't get it regulated.  But, that was just a small snag in our wonderful stay there.  

Our friends Tom and Atticus have rescued a 16 year old white schnauzer.  They have opened their home and their hearts to this old boy. If you are following our blog, take a peek at their blog as well...it will do your heart good.


http://tomandatticus.blogspot.com/2012/05/will-update.html?spref=fb

Once we leave Chicago we will be headed towards Flagstaff, Arizona.There are wild fires burning South of Flagstaff near the Phoenix area. We will need to keep our eyes peeled for these. There are also wild fires burning in Colorado. Thus are the worries of the Rowdy Girls as they prepare to jump into the void....stay tunned.

Peggy and I meet in Chicago on Monday morning. Little did we know when we made these plans that the NATO conference would be going on. We are staying downtown at the Palmer House Monday night and taking a train to Flagstaff on Tuesday morning.  This picture was taken on Friday when Police tried to stop a demonstration march from crossing the Michigan Avenue bridge. This is going to be a real travel experience.

Peggy gets on the train this afternoon in Martinsburg, West Virginia.  This old historic train station has been the focus of much renovation over the years. 

I found this video online this morning and thought it really explained so much about the Grand Canyon.  This is a view that you would get if you took one of those helicopter rides over the top and down the river.  Now we all know that isn't going to happen.  

This is where our suitcase is headed.  We are going to stay two nights right on the rim. This hotel was built around the turn of the century after Teddy Roosevelt visited the Canyon.  The hotel is on the end of one of the Santa Fe railroad spurs which is no longer in operation. It is very rustic but it seems to fit right into the landscape.  The food is known to be good and the views are unsurpassed.

Enough about school and onto the good stuff.FedEx is coming today to pick up the whopper that we are sending out to the Grand Canyon....jacket, poles, boots, hats, socks and maps. Once the suitcase goes it really starts the clock ticking. 

Just had to walk back down memory lane and post a few pictures from honors day right before graduation this year. You can see David, my new colleague from Texas, and our entire trial team with all of their awards from this year.  These kids were really spectacular this season.  I couldn't be prouder.

I have broken out tiny Judy.  She is my netbook that I take on vacation. I fired her up this morning and she is running like a champ. Of course I will need to bring all of tiny Judy's accessories with me. That means her external mouse and power cord. Tiny Judy is small and light weight albeit slower than my full size HP laptop from school. But....she is itching to get going.

There is no mountain climbing in my future.Maybe we should just rent a video or sit on the canyon floor and watch others scale these peaks. I am all about vicarious thrills these days.

I spoke to my sister last night and she is busy packing things to put in my whopper suitcase that I am shipping out to the El Tovar Hotel.We have hiking boots, poles, raincoats, desert hats, etc...for all of this hiking we are going to be doing.I have held the line at going up and down any mountains. We did that in Ireland.Been there done that.   

Now that I am back from New Orleans, I need to get serious about our vacation.  

Here are my students lined up outside of the Federal Building in New Orleans right after meeting with the Federal Prosecutors.We had a great trip. Now for the last week of class, graduation and train trip to Chicago.

This is Monument Valley at night. It is suppose to be one the THE best places on the planet to view the heavens. I can't wait.

This is The View Hotel where we will be staying in Monument Valley. Every room has a balcony and a view of the sunset. This hotel was built and is owned by Navajos, to provide jobs and income for those living in the area. It is suppose to be a spectacular place to stay.

This is Monument Valley, the place where they filmed most of the John Wayne westerns. We will be spending two days here. This may be one of the reasons we need the GPS and all the electronic gadgets and the solar charger. Not much going on out here...and if we get lost....well, I think you know why I am carting all that stuff.  That, and I am an electronic junkie who is almost always plugged into something.

This is my sister rummaging through her bag...... looking for one of her many electronic gadgets. See my look of dismay.... at all the stuff she hauls around that either has batteries or plugs into the wall. She is bringing her GPS and solar charger too! There are cords and wires everywhere when she unpacks.

This is more like us in the morning. My sister is the one in the skirt. For those of you who knows us both, you know that Peggy is taller than me and a much snappier dresser.  And, as you can see I continue to follow her lead with my usual cheerful demeanor.   

Peggy and I continue to do our workout in the morning...when I get up in time.  However, these folks look a little more enthusiastic than I do at 5AM .

This is more like the size of Peggy's suitcase. And, hey...I am not saying my suitcase is any mini mouse...I just thought you may want to see where she bought it.

We love to shop on Michigan Avenue.  The last time we were in Chicago we went to the Apple Store because I had just given Peggy an iPad for her birthday.We then went to a really cool toy store so Peggy could buy some games for the kids she teaches.  I wonder what we are going to be doing this trip?  

This is what our train sleeping compartment looks like when the beds are folded down. Notice the top bunk with its ominous sleeping strap. This keeps one from rolling out of bed.......very important to hang on when the ride gets a bit rough. In the past when we traveled, I pulled the short straw and slept up on top.  But after only a few hours, I climbed back down the ladder and crawled in bed with my sister. Fortunately. we can sleep comfortably head to toe on the wider lower bed. (It is wider than it looks in the picture.)During the day the beds fold up and a small table by the window folds down. There is also a sink and bathroom in the compartment.

The upside of renting a car in Flagstaff, is that we will have freedom.....to bring more stuff!  Judy is shipping a suitcase to our hotel at the Grand Canyon, packed with our boots, raincoats and other hiking gear we don't want to bring on the train with us. This leaves more room in our suitcases....hmmmmm.

First Stop On Our Grand Tour

As children we visited the Grand Canyon. I still remember the colors!
I am so excited to be revisiting this amazing place. Of course, I will not be getting any where near the edge.

So,  I really need to start figuring out the whole packing thing...what to cram into a suitcase and what to ship ahead of us. Let's face it...I just don't travel lightly. And, since we aren't going on a cruise and will be renting a car, I figure I can haul a whole lot more than I usually do.  

DogTown is the nation's largest animal rescue center.  They are the folks who took many of the Katrina animals orphaned by the hurricane. They also took the Michael Vick pit bulls, rehabilitated them and found homes for most of those dogs.   DogTown is right across the border in Utah and right on our way up to Bryce Canyon.  So...we are going to stop and visit.  Mickey says that's OK as long as we don't bring him a new brother or sister...that may be hard.

Sights to See

We will have to stake out seats in the observation car early in the morning to get to see these vistas....

We will be taking the Southwest Chief.

This will be our route out from Chicago to Flagstaff, Arizona.  

But, the next day we are headed out West to the Grand Canyon and beyond to Bryce, Zion, Monument Valley, Dog Town and other native american sites.

After graduation my sister Peggy and I will meet and spend the night in Chicago at the Palmer House.  We will spend the day visiting with friends, eating Indian Food, shopping, and just hanging out. This picture is the way the Palmer House looked when it was originally built.

Spring means graduation at Culver-Stockton is right around the corner.  Our campus is beautiful this time of year with all the ornamental trees blooming. The view of the Mississippi from the hill is just gorgeous.