Lois flew to Las Vegas with her parents in August, 2004 for a road trip through some of America's most fascinating national parks.

We had a great trip, except all three of us came down with colds the first day. Good that it was all three - everyone slowed downed instead of one sicky lagging behind. My first tip would be - spend two days at Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon, and maybe Arches. The three canyons really overwhelm the East Coast senses. Even though I've heard about and seen pictures all my life, the reality is so much more than can be described. The drivers in Las Vegas are the rudest I've found anywhere in the world. I think they must lose at the casinos and take it out in Road Rage. The car rental was funky. We had to argue to get a vehicle with a trunk. We didn't want our luggage left out in full view. Dollar wanted to rent SUVs. Then, the gas meter was reading empty, so we had to turn around and go back to get the tank filled. The hotel in Las Vegas didn't have your e-Mail letting them know there would be three, not two, guests for the night. The initial room was a tiny hole big enough for my cats. The front desk did move some reservations around and get us into a larger room. The Grand Canyon Railway package was a great deal. In addition to the two hotels, the round trip steam train ride, and the two meals, the package included lots of corny western entertainment - an Old West Shootout, a Train Robbery, Cowboy Singers, etc. Also included was a bus tour on the South Rim of the Canyon, snacks and drinks on the train, luggage transfer service, and the all important provision of drinking water. The hotel in Williams included a pool and a hot tub, a railway museum, gift shops, etc. On the drive between Williams and Holbrook, we got off the highway at Flagstaff and
onto old Route 66 to buy gas. My advice is full up at every major town, because the gas costs elsewhere are 20 cents/galleon higher. We drove through Petrified National Forest from south to north - definitely the way
to get the most incredible initial view of the Painted Desert - suddenly around a curve and there it is. Staying in Mexican Hat was a hoot. The town has a population of 35 with three hotels and two gas stations. On any given night, there are more out-of-towners than townees. We had Navajo Fry Bread at the restaurant there. Now I know what Tony Hillerman is referring to in his books. The hotel itself is cut into the side of a cliff. You come down a 10% grade, cross a narrow bridge, and make a sudden sharp left into the parking lot - or hit the cliff! I locked the keys in the car at Arches National Park. Dollar gave us two keys, but on a key ring that didn't open up. AAA to the rescue. The AAA mechanic also cut the key ring for me. By the way, the AAA mechanic met me at the entrance to the Park in only 20 minutes.

I'd skip Natural Bridges Natural Monument next time if I still wasn't feeling up to hiking in the dry heat. We really couldn't get a full impression of the bridges or the petroglyphs from the road.

Dinosaur National Park would have been terrific in a raft. The Green River is the last "wild river" (undammed) of the major rivers flowing into the Colorado. I'll have to go back with my brother sometime. Dad drove through a windy section of mountains in Colorado to get there. (The family joke is that I won't drive above 10,000 feet altitude.) Unless you really have a reason to add Dinosaur National Park, I'd save this piece of the trip for a different trip, spend the time at Canyonlands National Park and leave northern Utah (Provo, Salt Lake City) for another time. It would have made the driving time a bit better.

Timpagonos Cave was a treat. The Timpanogos Wilderness area is just outside of Provo. It's a lush green canyon. After days and days of driving through wastelands, it was pleasant to settle the eyes on green. The caves themselves are a steep mile and a half walk up the side of the mountain. The Park Ranger told us it would take an hour and a half to hike up. I told her we would take the two hour route. My Dad complained I thought he was an old goat - mountain goat - to make him climb the trail. He had a good time though.

The hotel outside of Bryce Canyon is an amazing complex. The shuttle bus for the park stops right in front. The hotel operates a kiddie rodeo (featuring goat roping, for example), helicopter rides, horse trips, etc. Bryce Canyon is like something out of a science fiction story. Pictures don't do it justice. If I ever go again, I want to take a horse ride down into the canyon from the Lodge in the Park.

For some reason the National Park Service doesn't mention the hotels in Springdale, UT on it's Zion Park web-site. The park backs into Springdale on its western side. If someone doesn't want to go to the expense of the Mt. Zion Resort on the east side, I'd recommend looking into hotels in Springdale. Mt. Zion Resort featured brand new cabins. The only disappointment was breakfast at the restaurant - we didn't get waited on. Apparently someone hadn't shown up for work and the staff was not up to the job of filling in.

If I had to rank the hotels, I'd say the La Quinta was the most comfortable that we stayed, the casino in Las Vegas the least impressive. The Best Western in Provo was a notch below the other Best Westerns, but for one night, it was easy to find and adequate. My major complaint about the hotels is that you had booked us using my parents AARP discount. We'd get to a hotel and I'd go into register. Not one ever questioned the discount. Scary - I know I needed the vacation, but really!

The driving times were all five hours or less, but the driving was often through miles and miles and miles of the middle of no where. The other tourists were mostly either European, Japanese, or Californian. We really
appreciated and used the free shuttle buses at Grand, Bryce, and Zion Canyons.

If I had to give one tip, it would be to put about three times as much drinking water in the car as you think you're going to want. It's high and dry!

Lois