The trip was GREAT! I had trouble selecting the Highlights, but here is a selection of pictures.
Susan and I took off Wednesday, 19 June. We drove to Tuolumne Meadows where we spent the night in the campground.
On Thursday 20 June drove out over Tioga Pass. Visited Panum Crater and Tufa fields at Mono Lake. Visited Bodie. And drove to the White Mountains.
On Friday 21 June
we hiked the
Methuselah Trail,
home of a 4000+-year old tree.
That evening we drove across Nevada, thru
Tonopah to Caliente.
On Saturday 22 June we explored the swell campground in Caliente, the not-so-swell museum, and the very swell Cathedral George. Driving on to Zion, we stumbled across the site of the Mountian Meadows Massacre - a very sad and thought-provoking chapter in Mormon history. We then drove on to Hurricane UT where we stayed in a most unusual campsite - the Sand Pit. We met up with my sisters, Kerre and Jacqui and their husbands David and David here. At this point, I changed from "Vance" to "Ned" which is what my sisters call me.
On Sunday 23 June we hiked up to the Emerald Pools. Had a wonderful dinner with the family. And saw a turkey...
On Monday 24 June we hiked the Narrows.
On Tuesday 25 June we took a small hike to the Weeping Wall. Then we drove to Bryce Canyon, seeing Checkerboard Mesa and other stuff on the way.
On Wednesday 26 June we hiked the Queens Garden and Navajo Trails. We ate a good lunch and then joined up with David to hike the bristlecone loop.
On Thursday 27 June we joined Kerrie and David and hiked to Mossy Cave. Then it was goodbye family. Back to my "Vance" persona. And drive to Wheeler Peak in Great Basin NP.
On Friday 28 June we visited Lehman Cave on the morning. In the afternoon, we hiked our third bristlecone trail.
On Saturday 29 June we left Wheeler Peak (sniffle) and visited some astonishing Petroglyph sites on out way to Grover Hot Springs CA.
On Sunday 30 June after a dip in
Grover Hot Springs
we drove home.
Finis...
(The truly masochistic section was too masochistic even for me, so it is omitted.)