04.10.2021 - 07.10.2021: Part 1 - In the Parks and Canyons

Calendar

04.10.2021
Drive from Vegas via Valley of Fire State Park to Bryce Canyon

05.10.2021
Rainy day in Bryce Canyon (our first since the start of the trip!), playing, chilling

06.10.2021
Bryce Canyon and onward journey via Red Canyon and Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park to Page (B&B: The Bear's Den)

07.10.2021
Glen Canyon, Lake Powell and Dam, Horseshoe Bend in Page, Navajo National Monument, onward journey to Bluff (near Monument Valley)

Highlights

It is definitely worth buying an annual pass for visiting the various national parks. This costs $80 and grants unlimited entry to all parks. However, admission must still be paid for the (few) state parks.

We are extremely impressed by the many canyons, gorges, and dune landscapes. The pictures above are self-explanatory. However, there is regularly a visual overload. So less is definitely more. That's why we also take regular breaks (days off), which is aided by the sometimes rainy weather (always think positively).

In Page, we stayed at a Bed and Breakfast (The Bear's Den). I mention this because we have never been so hospitably hosted before. Or as Baudelaire aptly put it: There is no greater pleasure than surprising someone by giving them more than they expected. So in the evening, we had long and intense discussions with the host couple about life in the USA and the political culture that prevails here.

We also got another impression of the political culture of the States during a down-to-earth dinner in a saloon in the heart of Utah. Here, Biden is still considered a foreigner and any firearms brought in have to be handed over. The slightly surreal atmosphere is accompanied by live singing of a patriotic country singer who sings praises of life in the Wild West. We had to smile a bit here.

Now we are in Bluff and have a lovely cabin to ourselves. Ahead of us is a visit to the Monument Valley. We hope to meet Winnetou and Old Shatterhand in the Valley of the Dead...

Best regards to all of you and see you soon.