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.