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Because we had driven so much the night before we got to fit in another national park before heading to Vegas – Great Basin NP. We booked in for a cave tour and then had to (yes had to) drive to the top of this mountain and record speed to get back in time.

The cave tour was very different to yesterdays random scrambling but it was very enjoyable and we learnt a lot about the history and geology of the cave – and including that the guy who originally set us the caves as a tourist attraction made his money from the Australian Gold Rush. We even saw a scorpion shed which at first I thought was actually a shed full of scorpions bahahaha

Another 4 hours of desert driving saw us arrive at our splurge accommodation in Las Vegas for 2 nights.

Thursday i finally got to go back to the bins – yay!

We came back for a nap and a swim before heading out to the Strip for dinner.

And my other Vegas favourite- the Bellagio Fountain.

Last night before heading to LA and home tomorrow.

Today was a lot of driving – interrupted by some adventures.

Our first adventure was a stop at EBR 1 the world’s first nuclear power plant where all I could think of was Homer Simpson. It was raining when we got there and the guides were so excited to see us when we arrived that we got a personalised tour from a very enthusiastic young person.

Next stop was the Craters of the moon National Park where you basically walk through the remains of ancient volcanic activity. Of course our first thing was the climb the top of a giant cinder cone.

Next in ways Ian tried to get rid of me on this trip we went to climb through some lava tube caves – and I mean climb!

Next stop was the beautiful town of Twin Falls and not because I finally got some Rausing Cane’s (IYKYK).

Were we allowed to stay here though – no – Ian had hours of driving still planned for us. I vetoed his first stop – Wells – not sure we would have made it out alive. Finally we arrived at the Hotel Nevada which was actually very cool – and they gave us free margaritas!!

Today we drove from Idaho, through Montana into Wyoming to Yellowstone and then back again.

We arrived at Yellowstone after we had our lunch and immediately ran into a “bison-jam” – a traffic jam caused by bison on the road. Seeing them next to cars makes you realise how huge they are.

We made it to the main event – Old Faithful- that Ian remembers learning about as a kid. Being Memorial Day we waited with around a thousand others to watch it go off. Meanwhile another bison just wandered into the middle of everyone 藍

After this we did walk to Prismatic Springs which were pretty impressive but we were both too grumpy to appreciate 藍

It was a 2 &1/2hour drive into Idaho Falls where we are staying tonight as we start our trip back to LA – happily watching war movies for Memorial Day.

An early morning start as we vacuumed sealed all my treasures & tightly packed them into suitcases. We loved our week at Park City but alas we must move on. We drove past Bear Lake, then onto Snake River, Idaho, through Jackson before arriving at Grand Teton about 2pm.

We arrived at Jenny Lake and because it is a long weekend the line for the boat was huge so we decided to do the hike around the lake. We were so glad we did because we saw a bear!!!! Everyone else was running away but not us ha ha We did get some great shots & Ian made a new friend (about 10 years) who said to him “you seem to know what you’re doing so I’m sticking with you” bahaha

With the adrenaline pumping I agreed to climb another mountain – seriously the Teton Mountains are amazing.

Luckily we were able to catch one of the last boats back because I was a bit had it!

Of course we then had to drive to the top of probably the next highest mountain. Luckily the view was pretty good!!

Now that was all pretty good but probably my favourite part of the whole day were the gophers we found driving out. So funny.

Because accomodation in Jackson was a minimum of $A900 for a motel room we drove over a mountain pass back to Driggs, Idaho to the Teton Cabins for the night.

Friday didn’t start to plan with us unable to sort out bikes so instead we headed for a drive to Antelope Island State Park. While we didn’t see any antelope (I don’t even know if there is any there) we did see plenty of spectacular scenery, wild bison & the insides of the old ranch – very cool!! Across the Great Salt Lake you could see Salt Lake City.

By the time we got home – Ian made us toasted sandwiches & microwave pizza & I was in bed.

Saturday started early as we headed off on our Utah yard sale adventure. We stopped at a school yard sale, a whole street yard sale, a moving sale (my favourite) & then a very rich family yard sale (great stuff & if I had endless space & money hahaha).

Honestly Everytime we drive anywhere in this state you just come across so much beauty & today was no exception. It is Memorial Day long weekend here & that unofficially starts summer & the people came out in droves.

After coming home & having a nap, Ian tried to kill me again- this time with a push bike! They were electric boosted bikes but half way around our “loop” I noticed the free bus stop & send Ian on his way  My legs are like jelly!! Luckily instead of paying the $US75 for 1/2 bike hire & $US15 helmet hire – we found the city bikes for $12 & spent $8 on helmets at the yard sales this morning so i definitely got my money worth!!

Packing up as we are off on our adventure again tomorrow to Grand Tetons & Yellowstone.

We’ve been enjoying our rest time at Park City. On Tuesday morning Ian did 2 very non- typical things – he had a sleep in & joined in a group activity as we hiked to snow top led by the activity manager.

We had a pretty quiet rest of the day & got up on Wednesday and did our own hike with great views over Park City.

The lady in front of us came running back down the track because she’d seen a moose – we of course headed straight towards it but it was gone. We did see some tracks!

In the afternoon we drove down to Heber City (about 25 minutes) for some shopping with a view.

On Thursday morning Ian slept in again!! I went for a walk around the town and then he came to meet me. We had lunch at the local saloon!!

After my afternoon nap, we headed down to the spa. It’s been a tough week!

We woke up to something unexpected – snow!! It was a bit magical.

And that was just the beginning. We headed out to the Rocky Mountain National Park and nearly had the whole place to ourselves. We did a short walk and it was cool when you could see we were the first people to walk through the snow for the day.

We began our long drive to Park City through some more spectacular scenery. We passed the continental divide again and stopped at a lovely town called Walden that had one of the coolest shops ever, and then at a farmers market at Saratoga for lunch.

Many hours of driving through Wyoming we crossed back into Utah. And back into snow!

We arrived at Park City at our lovely apartment that we have for a week – booked through our vacation club. It is so nice to have space, a kitchen & laundry!!

We woke up to an even more magical site – the snow had settled overnight!

After a slow morning we explored the Marriott a bit and went for a walk through Park City – very quiet at this time of year.

I spent the rest of the day at the Goodwill outlet bins & Ian went shopping. We came home in time for the evening entertainment at the Marriott and it turned out to be excellent.

We had a bit of a sleep in before eating our cereal out of cups for breakfast and heading off. Our guide from last night had suggested the road that follows the Colorado River and it was great advice.

By the time we were heading up into the mountains we found Rocky Mountain Tacos for lunch & then a quick drive through Vail. It was then just another hour to Breckenridge where I’d found an amazing deal for a great room for the night EXCEPT they then slugged us $U47 for parking!!! Luckily it is beautiful up here.

We ate cheese and dip and drank canned margaritas for dinner while watching a Jurassic Park marathon- a good rest day.

We made the most of our buffet breakfast with a view before heading off into Denver. The highest we got to was a whopping 11158 feet!! It gave Ian a headache but I’m tougher.

I got to go to the bins in Denver – so much fun. Ian got in trouble though because he didn’t know the bins rules. 🤣

Next we headed to Red Rock where we accidentally found ourselves in the midst of an alternative music festival – lightcode by LSDream. They were all having a lovely time!!

We started our drive up to the Rocky Mountains National Park with a stop at Berthoud Pass – a massive 11,307 feet. And there was snow!!

Another hour at we made it to Grand Lakes. I’d got an amazing deal for our room & then they upgraded us!! We had dinner, drinks & enjoyed the view.

Oh and two more things – we saw this creature but don’t know what it is & Ian is very unimpressed with the number of motorbike riders who don’t wear helmets here.

Tomorrow the national park and then a long drive to Park City.

Yes I did wake up sore 藍 but no rest as it was another early morning start – after our free breakfast at Ebenezer’s.

Ian had decided overnight that we were now detouring via Capitol Reef NP where luckily we only needed to do the scenic drive.

We continued on through some amazing scenery, making it to Arches National Park around 1pm. We drove through the park and did an easy 3km walk from the Devils Garden trailhead to Landscape, Pine Tree & Tunnel Arches.

We drove back into town checked into our motel, walked around a bit & had dinner at the Moab Diner.

Unbelievably my back has been amazing on this trip (I’ve been wearing my back brace on every walk) but somehow I’ve managed to get a big toe injury meaning I can barely walk tonight 

Ian woke up early on Thursday morning to do 2 more long hikes at Arches. I think it has been his favourite so far (it reminds him of the Australian outback).

I limped over to the nearest pharmacy & had a short walk around town. I did get a real coffee – I’d give it 7/10.

Ian came back and we were allocated 2 hours at Canyonlands NP – which we made good use of. I even managed a short walk.

Next was the highlight of our stay in Moab – a buggy tour through the desert. This was so much fun. I loved seeing the dinosaur footprints & the story of the local guy who stole one, made it into a table & posted it on facebook proved there are not so smart people everywhere!!

We got back after dark, had dinner at the diner again and were off to bed. Ian absolutely loved Moab. Tomorrow Colorado!

Well since I’d basically slept all afternoon and night I was out of bed by 5.30am and we were on our way to Bryce.

First stop was via Zion & a tunnel to the East Rim walk. My legs were a bit sore from yesterday but a great walk.

It was just a couple of hours onto Bryce & we made a few stops for mountain goats (which apparently are actually horned sheep according to Ian!) & an Americana Antiques shop for a number plate for Dad.

We arrived at Bryce Canyon & thought we’d be fine to do an easy to moderate walk. Well it nearly killed me!! It is very high here (8300 feet) – higher than Mt Kosciusko, incredibly steep & I am just unfit. Ha ha. The scenery is so beautiful and amazing that it honestly feels like it is a painting!

We walked (very slowly!) around the rim and took in some of the other viewpoints, before heading back into town for a well deserved buffet at Ruby’s where we are staying for the night.

I am going to be very sore tomorrow!!!