Bev..... There are more behind me and people running around the bowl like mountain goats. :0) The ridge up behind the arch has a line of people too.....Some girl did a yoga pose under the arch and everyone watching did the same pose, yes including me.....it was hilarious! We hiked down in the dark. Were there MORE when YOU were there?

After Mt. Rushmore, swing down to Devil's Tower. Its on the Wyoming-S. Dakato border just inside Wyoming. Then, head for Yellowstone. Several routes across Wyoming may be taken. There are two routes across the Big Horn mountians if they choose to crsoo these, or a route around these can be taken. The climb up this mountain is abrupt out of either Buffalo or Sheridan; The Sheridan route has the steeper climb. Once on top of the Big Horns, it is serene, isolated, and rather flat and picturesque. On the West side of the mountain, US 14 drops abruptly down the west side and the landscape change is fast. You go from a high mountain folage to dry, western desert in a span of 30 miles. Plan on using 2 days to tour Yellowstone. Years ago, when I was there, tent camping was not allowed becasue of potential for a bear raid. Only hard-side camper were allowed. Plan to stay outside the park. If you can snag a reservation at the historic inn near Old Faithful, that would be worth it. Driving south of Yellowstone, one could go through Jackson, WY. Jackson is a tourist trap type of town, but the views along Jenny Lake in front the Tetons are beautiful. This best seen before the sun crosses mid sky. After 2pm, the east side of the Tetons are shaded. There are several sites in Utah worth seeing: Zion, Bryce Canyon (which is not a canyon, but is filled with fantastic eroded columns), Arches, Natural Bridges, and Momument Valley. Of these, I recommend Arches, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Momument Valley. If you are pressed for time, you can skip Natural Bridges. It is anti-climatic after seeing Arches. There are only 3 main bridges to be seen. Stay a Moab and paln to use most of a day to tour Arches. Yes, you could buzz through it in car in a half day, but it is best enjoyed by hiking the paths and coming in contact with the terrain. The signature, Delicate Arch, is accessible only by hiking. Its about a mile off the roadway. South of Arches is Momument Valley which is part of the Navajo Reservation. There is lodging at Blanding. The motel there offers views of the rising sun. From Momument Valley, find you way to Grand Canyon. It is the grandest view of all. Its immensity is hard to envision and awe inspiring. The Grand Canyon park itself has been cloed to private auto touring. However, you can park you car and hike the rim or opt to use tram, a train of open air carts. The trams stops at all the rim viewpoints. You may exit at any viewpoint and then catch another tram. When I was there, the trams ran on 15 minute intervals. The only caution is to make sure that you do not miss the last tram of the day, else you will find yourself hiking back to the parking lot and that could be several miles. The fast way to las Vegas from Grand Canyon is to go south to I40 and then west. But if you have the time, you may wish to backtrack a bit and find a way to Washington-St. George, Utah by crossing the Colorado river using US 89. The drive SW of St. George (I-15) along the Virgin River is scenic.

I can't settle on one place, but so loved traveling through Utah's spectacular landscape. Then there is South Western Canada, and Highway 1 the length of California. the mountains in Colorado. Add the White Sands in New Mexico, the endless fields of sunflowers in Kansas, the winding roads of such pleasant scenes along the Blue Ridge Parkway. I can't forget the Atlantic Coast into the brilliant fall colors in the New England States and Eastern Canadian Provinces. Now I go back to the foothills of the Appalachians and my Pennsylvania home. Then there are all those places in between the above mentioned awe inspiring places in the good ole' USA that I experienced behind my dear husband on the back seat of our motorcycle. So I guess my most favorite, enjoyed, awe inspiring place to be would be on that moving motorcycle.

Nicole, it was fun, wasn’t it? Beautiful to see the sun set there. Kinda tricky on that last 100 yards or so, so we left before it got totally dark and then hiked down the rest of the way down in the dark, but as you know the rest isn’t that steep or treacherous, so it was rather fun. Others were around too, so it made it seem like we were at least safe. Must have been cool to have a choir up there.