Cortez to Canyonlands

Our hotel has doors that open to the outside and not to a hotel hallway. At around 10:30PM last night Sharon and I had just gotten into bed. Then we heard a clicking sound as if someone was trying to get in the room. Now you need to know that Sharon and myself are introverted and mousy people. So we are not likely to confront people. This person obviously had the wrong room. The room numbers are printed on the keychain. So why didn’t it dawn on her after trying a few times that she was in the wrong place. After the 3rd time of her going away and trying the key again I told her “I think you have the wrong room.” “Sorry,” she said and didn’t try it again. I didn’t dare open the door to her figuring the key in the door was a ruse to rob us (you never know). Seems that she and her husband probably wanted the unmarked room behind us. We heard them move into that after while. It didn’t help that the hotel front desk closed after hours. So we couldn’t exactly call the front desk

Kayenta to Mesa Verde

I’m always apprehensive about staying at motels with doors that open to the outside, rather than a hallway as with most hotels. I figure there is no barrier to thieves or undesirables from robbing you. Wetherill Inn was setup like this. But thankfully nothing happened during the night.

We got up at around 7:30AM. We didn’t necessarily have a schedule, only to get to Mesa Verde National Park in time to see much of it before the attractions closed.

Breakfast at Wetherill Inn was at a breakfast room down the hallway from reception. It was a bit more limited than what we were used to at previous hotels. I guess we’ve been spoiled with scrambled eggs and sausage. The breakfast bar had an array of boiled eggs, oatmeal, donuts, and cereal. I was pleased to see they had Lucky Charms which I occasionally have at home for a snack. Next to us was a German family. I had a short discussion with Sharon about how Germans and other Europeans get off for multiple weeks for vacation, while Amer

Page to Monument Valley

We had to get up early today as we had to check in at 8AM for the 8:30AM Upper Antelope Canyon Tour. So we set our alarm for 6AM. Breakfast at the hotel gave us a bit more options than past hotels we had stayed at during this trip. As a bonus they had bacon and donuts among the usual waffles, toast and eggs. The orange juice machine was broken, but they were kind enough to leave a serving container of apple juice. I had a bit more extra bacon since it was very thin. Also I managed to get strawberry jam for my biscuits, a rarity since I can’t eat an entire jar for strawberry jam by myself at home (Sharon is adverse to strawberries. 🙂

After a hardy breakfast we checked out of our room simply by putting a key in a basket on our way out. I guess everyone had to prepay before getting their key.

We made the 5 minute journey to the tour operator’s check in point for the Upper Antelope Canyon Tour. I showed the lady at the desk my online purchase receipt and she gave me a pass to ge

St. George to Lake Powell

Today’s day started with a trip down to a crowded breakfast for some eggs, sausage and cereal. Eating the Fruit Loops cereal reminded me of church camp – the only time when I eat that type of cereal.

We decided to leave early to check out the Mormon temple. Since we weren’t Mormon we would not be allowed inside the building, but we did get to take a few photos of the front of the building. The building is one of the most prominent structures in town. Built on a hill and painted in white, it provides a contrast against the red rock surrounding St. George.

Next it was on to St. George Church of Christ. We were welcomed in by several friendly people. We did meet another couple visiting from Glasgow, KY. Since there is no other church of Christ within 50 miles, the church has the equivalent of their Sunday evening service in the afternoon, right after a fellowship meal.

Our Bible study consisted of a verse by verse study of Titus 2 and 3. There was much discussion. Our sermon

Nashville – Las Vegas – Zion

Soon after our trip to Ireland Sharon and I began talking about doing a domestic trip in the fall. After some investigation we decided on Utah and Arizona. I had been to Utah before, but just to Moab and Arches National Park, but that was 7 years ago and I was anxious to go again and show Sharon the beauty of those places. When I went to Moab, I really wanted to see Monument Valley, but our scheduling couldn’t accommodate it. This time around I made sure to plan for Monument Valley.

We decided on Las Vegas as our starting point. It was easier and cheaper to get to compared to Salt Lake City, plus it was closer to some of the attractions we wanted to see. Frontier was the airline of choice, mainly because it was so cheap. It’s a budget airline that nickels and dimes travelers for every little service. Need a carry on bag? That’ll be $20. Need to select your seat? That’ll be $18. You get the picture. Still when we were booking it, the tickets were still cheaper than Southwe