Day 1  Twenty two coaches gathered in Las Vegas, eagerly awaiting tomorrow's departure for a 1400 mile trip around some of the most beautiful and spectacular scenery in America.  We will visit 8 national parks, several national monuments, Ute and Navajo lands, cliff dwellings, and Puebloan Indian ruins.  Our mode of transportation will be by motorcoach, bus, car, 4 wheel drive jeep, boat, steam train, foot, and optional horseback. Ten coaches will head north, led by Mike and Cathy Cleghorn and 12 will head south with Garland and Dorothy Land. The two groups will meet up again in Durango, CO for a 3 day mini rally, before continuing around the circle and back to Las Vegas. Stay tuned for a daily blog of our activities.

Continue this blog on page 2 and 3 at the top and bottom right of this page.

Five of us left from Garland's house to travel to Las Vegas as a group for this rally.  We stopped in Boron for the night as planned.  As we were walking to dinner we heard a loud double sonic boon and were delighted to see the space shuttle silhouetted black against the cloudy sky on its landing approach to Edwards Air force Base.  When we were at the Mexican Restaurant we learned the shuttle crew was coming to dinner at this same restaurant later that evening.  We learned that this is probably the last landing at Edwards, what a thrill to see it.

Cool!!!  Wish we could've been there.  The buscuit burner badly wants to tour that country... you have no idea.  I look forward to the blog, and you darned better repeat this rally next year when we may be in a better position to go.

Enjoy, you guys!


  :'( Joel and Lee

Day 2 - The 10 coaches in the northbound group left Las Vegas at 90 degrees and ended up at Bryce Canyon at 70 degrees. Beautiful drive through the Virgin Valley then up the many miles of 7% grade. Glimpses of the beautiful red rock canyons and even a few fall colors are previews of what is to come. The weather seemed to change every 15 minutes - sun, clouds, rain, sun, thunder, more rain, more sun ending the day with light sprinkles during happy hour then a beautiful rainbow. Pictures to follow.

What a wonderful marketing strategy, Tim and Diana.  "Note to fellow Rally Masters:  Wet other's appetite for future rally with envy" Good job, and guess what - we're envious.  Have a wonderful trip!  Donna and I will join Joel and Lee next year (fingers crossed)  Hugs  Chuck and Donna

I dunno, but seems they are 2 rigs shy of their full quota, aren't they Chuck and Donna?

Day 3 - Bryce Canyon National Park - What an incredible day! "Wow" was the most commonly heard expression as we set out to explore Bryce Canyon National Park. Every turn brought amazing new views of the towering red "hoodoos" - eroded spires prominent at all of the vista points. But several of the group chose to not just look down on the beautiful pillars of stone, but to wind their way down Navajo Canyon and walk among them. The 3.5 mile hike was well worth the effort of climbing back out at the 8000 ft. altitude. Some took the 4 hour guided bus trip the full length of the park for even more spectacular views and help finding the fanciful images among the hoodoos (like Queen Victoria, Richard Nixon and we were sure we saw Godzilla fighting Mothra.) The beautiful day ended with a great meal at the Ruby's Inn Lodge and a brief, gentle rain as we returned to the coaches. We will post a picture link soon, although photos do not do the views justice.

View Photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/beavertaleseditor/GrandCircle#

The Southern Group of 12 coaches spent the day at Zion yesterday. The group spread out on various hikes and tours. One group took a ranger-led tour and then went out on their own. Some went to the end of the park on the Riverwalk and then walked into the Narrows, a slot canyon, by crossing back and forth across the river. Some climbed 1488 feet above the canyon floor across switchbacks, sometimes holding onto chains to reach the summit at Angel's Landing. Between pools of water, deer, and gorgeous views we all had a wonderful day.

  Oh, Mannnn...

I can just smell the pine trees and trail dust!  Sign us up for next time.  

Thanks for the great pix, Dianna!

Day 4 – North Group – We started the cold (40 degree) morning with hot chocolate and fresh cinnamon rolls baked for all the group by Katherin Erdman. Boy, this First Timer knows the way to a Beaver's heart! We then had a leisurely start for our trip up more of Hwy 12 toward Capitol Reef. The drive was breathtaking, in more ways than one. There were some white knuckles as we twisted down colorful canyons with 10 degree grades (some 14 degree up)and rode the Hogsback, with a narrow road, no shoulders and steep drop offs on both sides. We stopped at a view point where you could see more than a hundred miles. (Of course with 4 big rigs and tows crowded in, we couldn't take long. The Shurtzes took a jeep trail over the Devil's Backbone, where the highlight was a narrow bridge perched between two hoodoo spires. Most rested in the afternoon (while waiting for the fresh baked bread to arrive at the RV park - worth the wait) but then several went to Panorama Point for the sunset. We look forward to exploring the park tomorrow.

Good to hear from the South Group. Thanks Mike.

Day 5 - North Group - Capitol Reef National Park -Another busy day filled with the beauty of the area. Capitol Reef is not quite as impressive as the thousands of red hoodoos in Bryce, but it has more variety. The folded and eroded section of the hundred mile long monoclyne that makes up the park, includes towering cliffs, white sandstone domes (that looked like the Washington Capitol building, hence the name), forested plateaus and deep canyons.  Some even got to see mountain sheep. A hike up 400' in altitude (1.2 miles in length) to get to Hickman Bridge led to a beautiful arch in a colorful canyon. Another down Grand Wash led to a narrow, steep walled canyon. Petroglyphs and other remnants of the ancient Fremont people could be seen in the area. We even picked apples from an orchard planted in the 1800s by the Mormons. Some ended the day with gourmet dinner at El Diablo - a surprise for such a small town.

More pictures of the area at  http://picasaweb.google.com/beavertaleseditor/CapitolReef#

Hi from the South Loop of the Grand Circle Rally. We spent the first day in Las Vegas getting organized. We then watched as the north loop folks left. We lined up and got ready to roll. Our first big adventure was Zion. WOW!!! We enjoyed hiking the many trails and ooh-ing and ah-ing over the scenery.
View Photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/bradish.c/FirstDayAndZionOnTheSouthLoop#

Hi from the South Loop folks. We have been visiting Pipe Springs and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. More WOWs!!!!! We have been socializing, eating (Beaver's love to do that), hiking, sightseeing and enjoying the wonders of our earth. It can't get any better than traveling with your friends to all these wonderful places.
View Photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/bradish.c/PipeSpringsAndNorthRim#

As you can see from these wonderful photos from Vicki and Roy Warren, the South Loop Folks are HAVING FUN!!!!
View Photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/bradish.c/HavingFun#


This blog is continued on page 2.  click on page 2 top and bottom left.

This Rally Blog is a great idea. Glad youall are having a time.