After Santa Fe, I wanted to head into Colorado, but a lot of the mountain passes (as well as the campgrounds) were still closed. So we headed back down to Texas and one of our favorite parks, Palo Duro Canyon in Amarillo. Last time we were here, the campground headquarters burned down in the middle of the night. Thankfully, this time was a little less exciting, although still beautiful.

A large cave that we climbed into.

Our morning view from the motor home.

After a quick stop in Missouri, where we stayed at Meramec State Park and visited a few caves, it was on to a quick overnight in Illinois.

Trying to decide if we should go in....

The next day we stopped in Indiana to see my cousin who has been ill. Then we made a beeline for home arriving Monday, April 9th, one day ahead of schedule.

We were gone 85 days during which we drove 7500 miles, walked over 400 miles, and according to Denny, who keeps records of everything, went through 26 rolls of toilet paper. 😁

Now we have to do mounds of laundry, clean the motor home and get our taxes done!
Until next year........

When we turn toward home, it seems we don't do anything but drive. Although I want to be home to see family and kitties, I think we should make the trip home fun too.
So we headed toward Santa Fe by way of Flagstaff. Between Flagstaff and Santa Fe we stopped to see Meteor Crater. It is one of the largest in the world at almost a mile across and 500 feet deep. If the Washington Monument was placed on the bottom, it would just reach the top!

As we drove into New Mexico, we stopped at El Malpais National Monument, specifically to see Bandera Volcano and Ice Caves, short but interesting hikes.

Down into the ice cave!

And, again beautiful scenery!

We asked Trevor for suggestions of things to do in Santa Fe and he suggested Meow Wolf. It is a crazy interactive art event that defies explanation. It is in a large warehouse with multiple levels and has convoluted rooms and staircases and displays. You can touch almost anything and find something unexpected. You might open a cupboard and find a movie playing. I opened the refrigerator in the kitchen and found a small passage into another area. You could also enter closets and exit out the back into a new area. We were in a fluorescent aquarium at one time, a forest another time.

With the diver in the aquarium

Metal art

This is the only one at this time but they are opening several in other cities. So much fun! Everyone should go if they get a chance!

The next day we visited another national monument, Bandelier National Monument, which was home to beautiful mountain scenery, Frijoles Canyon and Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings. You had to climb four ladders to get into the top room, the Alcove room, which was up 140 feet. Denny quit after the first ladder. It was steep and quite narrow and he doesn't like heights. There had been some snow the previous night making it even more interesting. 😄

Halfway up, resting and waiting for my turn on the next ladder

What goes up, must come down! Down was a bit more scary!

Isn't he cute!

Denny got a photo of Abert's squirrel, native to only this region. Note the cute little ear tufts!

After leaving California, we headed in Utah for one night and then criss-crossed the border between Arizona and Utah several times on the way to Page, Arizona.

What's there, you say? The famous Antelope Canyon! Normally you need advance reservations, but by selecting a combo tour of the Lower Canyon and a boat cruise of Antelope Canyon we were able to get in on short notice.

On the way, we stopped for a hike to the Toadstool Hoodoos at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Short hike but interesting rock formations.

Large Hoodoo

 Family of hoodoos

Looks more like a giant penis than a toadstool!

See the doggie? He has a brown hat on!

We stayed at a lovely campground on Lake Powell at the marina in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

 This is such a beautiful area of the country! I love the red rocks!

Next up: Lower Antelope Canyon

The descent

Lots of stairs!

The way out

We were awestruck by the colors and waves. Pictures don't do it justice!

On to the boat ride!

 A long walk down a very steep ramp to the marina!

These 75'  house boats are for rent at a mere $900 per day but they supposedly sleep a lot of people! But they rent by the week so it better be with people you like!

Antelope Canyon's walls are higher than ever because the water is so low.

And a long uphill walk back up. This earned us both a beer!

Rochelle had suggested we visit Carrizo Plain National Monument known for its amazing display of spring wild flowers. We had already seen poppies on some hillsides. The pictures on the web from previous years were amazing. Unfortunately, we were a bit early for the super bloom, which is expected this year due to all of the rain. There were a lot of wildflowers (mostly yellow) already blooming but the pinks, blues and purples were just starting. Nevertheless, it was gorgeous. The smell was almost overpowering at times!

 The orange flowers are California poppies.

Some blue!

Soda Lake

A sea of purple

 This is one of my favorite photos (above).

We walked 3/4 of a mile to the sea of purple above. I could only sit it in for a minute. It smelled like grape bubblegum and the smell was overwhelming!

Poppies!

After visiting the flowers, we returned our rental car (We put on 2000 miles in 3 weeks!) and headed east toward Utah and Arizona. We spent nearly two months in California and were pleasantly surprised. It is for the most part quite beautiful. I didn't know there were so many different climates. We went from the ocean to the mountains, to the desert, to farming country, to lakes, and orchards and back to the ocean. I had no idea it was so mountainous! Another surprise was the amount of oil being pumped. There were oil pumps everywhere; by the ocean, alongside the freeway, in farmers' fields. I was amazed! Also, California is very multi-cultural and not just in the big cities. If I lived here I would definitely have to brush up on my Spanish and maybe learn one or two Asian languages as well!

I felt I could live in almost any of the little communities we visited with the exception of LA and its surrounding areas. Way too many people for me! And the traffic (as well as Trevor's driving!) is intimidating!