Sherry, If you go to see the giant redwood/sequoia trees, please realize that there are dozens of places worth seeing them along the coast from the CA/OR border to central California and in the Sierra Nevada Mountains along the CA/NV border that each have their own unique appeal. It would take a week just to explore all of the big tree NP's, SP's, SRA's, SNR's and Monuments in CA alone. When I lived in San Francisco, Russian Gulch, Big Basin SP and Mount Madonna were favorites, but after I moved to Carmel it was all about Polo Colorada Canyon and the many spots around Pfeiffer Big Sur. I'll have to tell you about my very rare and unique coffee table made from a Polo Colorado Cyn giant and Bixby Creek driftwood sometime. Yes, "mesa" is a term loosly applied to any landform in the arid west with a flat top and verticle cliff sides, and they are quite common. They are also referred to as table mountains, buttes, potrero or tuya depending on how they were formed and their characteristics and can vary from small ones like those in the BDW to the Grand Mesa in CO which is the largest in the world at around 500 square miles on top. Sometimes plateau is also used wrongly. They don't always have the verticle sides and are much bigger covering huge areas up to millions of square miles. Yes I could move back to St.George I guess, although in many ways the cost of living is higher there than Vegas. I'm sure some of my old friends are still there and kicking. But since my Dad lives there now I wouldn't even consider it.

How very cool Carol!! Congrats on the seeing and photographing the nutcatcher!

Thanks RockinC, Photo2 and Carol... Photo2 BCSP is in East Liverpool, OH...It's only small part of Little Beaver Creek State and National, Wild and Scenic River...A beautiful park and it never disappoints me for photo opportunites... juanital

Any chance you could swing through southwestern New Mexico? I lived in Silver City for 16 years; it's a fabulous place. Cookes Peak, the Matterhorn of the Southwest. Along Quaking Aspen Creek. The ghost town of Lake Valley, there's definately no lake and not much of a valley either. Knight Peak in the Burro Mts. In the Mogollons. Cottonwoods in Fall in Box Canyon. Oh, how I miss those spectacular New Mexico sunsets. Ron