Travel Tips & Adventures

Since nature can accomplish amazing results, we decided that a trip to Tonto Natural Bridge State Park in Northern Arizona would make an interesting field trip.  And, it did.

A difficult, winding road, State Route 87, from the Phoenix area is a challenge – definitely not for the faint of heart.  North of Payson by just a few miles and still on 87, a turn-off leads to another winding access road.  Wiggling every which way, when you finally arrive at the bottom, the park is spread out below, but the natural bridge is not immediately noticeable.

Pay your entry fee ($5 per person) and head to a parking lot.  There are several trails and viewpoints to visit so you can see the travertine (according to Wikipedia a “sedimentary rock, formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from solution in ground and surface waters”) bridge, which has a waterfall dripping down.

A picturesque grotto with waterfall awaits the intrepid

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This week, I promised something unusual.  Although this posting is a little later than usual, I ‘m keeping my promise.

In Arizona, south of Phoenix, the Gila Indian Reservation has some welcomed guests – wild horses.  Although during some seasons, you might not see them, these wild creatures may be viewed just along the highway.  Invariably, I haven’t had my camera with me, but sometimes I have managed to get some photos.

Wild horses

Wild horses watching us watching them

The Gila Indian Reservation has vast acreage where the animals are able to roam – somewhat – free.  (The lands are fenced from the roads to keep the horses safe and people out of these private lands.)  Since the Gila River Indian Communities are good stewards of their lands, the horses literally have free reign – and no reins in open areas.  In warmer weather, the horses take refuge in more sheltered area, but often in the spring, they can be seen in plain view.

How many major metropolitan areas can claim such a refreshing and unusual glimpse of such an inspiring sight?

Wild horses see us and leave

Next week we’ll offer another, lesser known, but scenic, Arizona spot.

Coming soon: If you’ve just been thinking of traveling and would – at least secretly – consider yourself a Couch Potato – you’ll be excited when we launch our new e-book.  We’ll share more next time.

The first time I flew into Phoenix, I was amazed at how spread out the metropolitan area is.   From west to east, Buckeye to Apache Junction, the metropolitan area of Phoenix, with all its suburbs, easily reaches 70 miles.

In some giant US cities, they build up with multi-storied skyscrapers. But, with the vast spaces available in Arizona, they have built out and even have had height restrictions on how high buildings can be built.

So, welcome to Phoenix.  Spread out and still in the desert.

Saguaro cacti and mountains are a short ride from the hustle and bustle

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Over the years, we’ve been in many cities, both capitals and smaller cities.  Boise, Idaho ranks high in our estimation as one of the most attractive downtowns we’ve seen.

With a population of over 200,000, Boise still seems like an accessible and people-friendly place to live, raise children, work, and enjoy leisure time.

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Not quite Eden, the Idaho Botanical Garden is a great place to slow the pace and enjoy some eye-popping color when you’re in Idaho.

A view of downtown Boise

Just east of downtown Boise by about three miles, the Idaho Botanical Garden is a great stop for a chance to amble about and enjoy nature.  Because they are located next to the former penitentiary, there is also a tour there to enjoy, if that’s of interest.

Since they have an “outlaw” connection, Outlaw Field, adjacent to the Garden, is also the site for concerts.  Coming up, they’re hosting concerts with big names like Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Chris Isaak, and Jackson Browne. (more…)

Sometimes the name says it all – Grand!  Grand Teton certainly is large and imposing, majestic and eye-catching.  We spent a few hours viewing the mountains as we drove through on our way to Yellowstone, plus we stopped at the very appealing Jenny Lake and the informative and attractive Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center.

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If you think you have seen everything worth seeing at Yellowstone National Park, well, you haven’t!  We have one more major sight to share – the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

Actually, there are two different falls that visitors can get fairly close to.  And we do mean close! – The sound of the water rushing is almost deafening at one location!

After you have visited the other locations we’ve told you about, it is definitely worth a ride to the Canyon Village area, which is in the vicinity of the Canyons and the falls (Upper and Lower).

The walks at each location are fairly short and you might have to jostle for position in some locations to get a good photo, but do take the time to see the falls! (more…)

Traveling just north of Old Faithful, we whisked by the Upper, Midway and Lower Geyser Basins on our first day in Yellowstone.  We decided to return because we could see some amazing activity.

The next day, we weren’t disappointed. In a concentrated area at the Lower Geyser Basin, are some amazing, bubbling, perking evidence of very hot activity under the earth’s surface. The bubbling is in the Fountain Paint Pots and the nearby steaming is a series of geysers that are quite impressive.

A boardwalk takes you around the area and, as long as you stay on the boardwalk – which they require – you can see the activity and avoid the dangerous hot gases.

The first sight we saw was Silex Spring – a colorful pool with flowing water– but very lethal.  Hot steam and hydrogen sulfide are not especially great to inhale.

We walked around the Fountain Paint Pots, seeing something that could be out of MacBeth – “double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble.”  And, there was certainly a lot of bubbling going on.  Even though we were early in the season, we still were able to see some really active clay-like deposits that, according to the Parks Department’s pamphlet, were used by the Crow Indian tribe to paint their tepees.

RECIPE – For the Mudpots of Fountain Paint Pots

As we continued our walk on the boardwalk, we came to an area that had a half dozen geysers in varying states of activity.  It was a bit hard to tell which one was which, but the photo here – we believe is Morning Geyser, which put on a spectacular show.  Notice the yellowish deposits in the geyser not erupting in front.  The deposits, while colorful, are other evidence of the many chemicals the erupting earth bring s to the surface.

Geysers erupting in Fountain Paint Pot areas

Almost nearing the juncture of the boardwalk path with the entrance walkway, there are some “Lodgepole pines” that have become mired in the earth’s eruptions. It is a stark reminder of how destructive, yet beautful the earth can be.

The entire walk around the Fountain Paint Pots Trail and the geysers in the vicinity can easily be seen in less than an hour.  It is great to stay longer and watch the changes.

Next week: We’ll travel to Yellowstone’s Falls  – the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  We’ll explore from several vantage points.

Continuing our visit to Yellowstone National Park…

While we waited for Old Faithful to perform, we wandered over to Old Faithful Inn, an old dowager of a National Park’s hotel.  The fascinating thing about the Inn is that it was built from stones, wood and other materials that were primarily brought from within a 5-mile radius, according to a tour guide we heard in the massive five-story lobby.  The lobby has large, rustic logs that have been burnished by time.  Nearby stairways are mini-sculptural wood pieces that look like antlers.  The lobby’s giant fireplace is also most impressive.

The main part of the hotel, built in 1904, has a dining room, also massive.  There are newer wings as well.  If you decide you’d like to stay in the Inn, plan to book ‘way far ahead!  The rates, unless you are willing to do without an in-room bathroom ($96), range from that low to a $500 price tag for a suite.  There are no modern amenities – no phones, TVs, air conditioning and Internet hook-ups, etc.  You are meant to get your entertainment from nature while at Yellowstone and, if you look around, you won’t be disappointed.

There are two other hotel properties nearby, but since we were afraid we’d miss Old Faithful’s performance, we didn’t stop to see them.

http://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/

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Just when you thought you’d never see another blog from Travel Tips and Adventures…well, here we are again!

Some other business activities have been keeping me busy – which I’ll share with you all soon. We also had the infamous “technical difficulties.”

In the meanwhile, we’ve been traveling and will, over the weeks to come, be offering our accounts of our visits to Yellowstone National Park, Southern Idaho and travel eats and accommodations along the way.

We’re getting very close to having traveled to every state in the United States – especially my husband – and on this particular trip, we were in five different states – Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

In the Western United States, spaces seem more spacious.  Although places may look close on a map, you can drive for many miles before seeing another town or any humans. Other than car occupants, what we saw more of than anything in our travels were buffalo – or bison – at Yellowstone National Park.

We also saw one lone buffalo that had strayed out of Yellowstone and was munching placidly on grass in the small resort town, West Yellowstone, adjacent to the Park.  The buffalo was now legendary, as he had been in West Yellowstone for a week.  Turning up behind a restaurant, behind someone’s home and in various other parts of town, no one seemed too concerned about their new inhabitant.  The theory seemed to be, “let it be.”

Tune in next week and we’ll share more about our trip to the 2.2 million acres!! (we didn’t get to all of them, but many amazing locations) of Yellowstone National Park.