Death Valley, California! 
When we left Las Vegas this morning the heat wave had broken  - good day for cooler weather since we were planning to cross Death Valley.  The highest temp we ran into was 95, and that was only at the lowest point.  

The rest of the day was comfortable and the car didn't overheat!  We didn't expect much from Death Valley, but we were wrong - it was very impressive.  The mountains were a combination of sedimentary layering and random  volcanic rock.  The colors were muted but there were layers of pinks, beige, blacks and blue-grays.  We drove down into Death Valley and the elevation was below sea level.  Fifteen minutes later we were above the valley at 4800 FT.
  We arrived at our overnight destination, Bishop CA, in time to have dinner at a really nice local restaurant, Whiskey Creek!!

Below the Hoover Dam

Parking Lot Railing

Las Vegas, May 17, 2013: Yesterday, and Wednesday - after visiting Hoover Dam, we had lunch at Milo's in Boulder City NV.  We sat outdoors and had a very nice, light lunch and a very good glass of wine!  It was 100 degrees, but only 8% humidity! Yesterday we me a couple (Karen & Jim) who were sitting across the sidewalk from us and talked with them for an hour or so. They live about 10 miles away and go to Milo's religiously twice a year!!  Fun!

     Cirque du Soliel "O" was fantastic.  We sat in the third row, almost in the middle - one row above the "waterline!" If you ever get a chance to see it, do so!!
     We are headed out to California this morning, driving across Death Valley.  I guess we'll get a couple of gallons of water before we head out!!  Then on to Yosemite the next day.

Las Vegas, May 16, 2013:  Last night we saw a really good show  - a retro-review of Las Vegas - VEGAS! The Show:  The singers and dancers were fantastic - and we had excellent seats!  Tonight we are going to see Cirque du Soliel "O" at the Bellagio - been looking forward to this for quite awhile!  Probably get back around midnight.  Then off to California tomorrow!!
     During the day we drove out to the Hoover Dam - it was hot (101 degrees), but we walked around and, of course, took a bunch of photos.

Zion Park - Layers of Peaks!

Zion National Park, May 13, 2013:  After packing up and saying goodbye to our hosts, Rochelle & Mike, at the Smith Hotel B&B, we drove west to Zion National Park.  Another afternoon of breathtaking scenery!!  Even though it was a Monday, the park was very busy and we had to park in the town of Springdale AZ.  (The Best Western desk clerk let us use their parking lot.) We were able to take a shuttle from town to the park and then we rode the park shuttle up to several drop-off points.  The shuttle is required - cars no longer are allowed in the park.  This time, instead of taking photos from overlooks, we photographed the peaks from below!

Zion National Park

     After leaving the park we drove to Las Vegas.  The only large city (in fact the only large community) on the way to Las Vegas is St. George, UT (Yes, back into Utah again!!)  We stopped to get gas - standing in 103 degree dry air wasn't too bad!!  We arrived at our resort in Las Vegas in time to pack and grab a salad at the sports bar!  Today we are just doing laundry and updating the blog and pictures!

Lake Powell AZ & UT

Antelope Canyon "Fire & Ice"

Lake Powell & Antelope Canyon UT, May 12, 2013:  On our second morning waking at the Smith Hotel, we headed out to Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam.  While we were there we booked a tour through Antelope Canyon, a slot canyon, with a Navajo guide.  (He said he had 7,000 photos of the canyon at home - and he was excellent at helping people get really good shots.)  It was only 1/4 mile long, but we were in there for over an hour!  Lake Powell is a big resort area run by the US Parks Service.  There is a big community of homes and a very busy marina.

Bryce Canyon "Hoodoos"

Utah Sunset

Bryce Canyon National Park, May 11, 2013:  We drove from Lee's Ferry to Glendale UT where we stayed in the historic Smith Hotel B&B for three nights.  It was a perfect location for us and we had a chance to socialize every morning with a different group of travelers.  We thought that Bryce Canyon would be crowded on a Saturday, but the number of visitors was just right!  We took the shuttle from the base of the park and got off at all of the overlooks.  We've been wanting to see this park for years and it was as beautiful and exciting as we expected.  We picked out one photo for the blog of the "hoodoos."

After visiting the park, we drove north another 80 miles just to view the spectacular scenery.  We arrived at Boulder UT, got fueled up, and headed back to the B&B - 120 miles!!  We drove into the sunset - spectacular!!