ON THE ROAD AGAIN, OREGON AND BACK AGAIN

In the following 9 photo sets we share our motorhome adventures from Branson to Oregon and back, over 5,000 miles during the hot summer of 2010. We made the trip as a clockwise oval, going west from Missouri to Arizona, northwest through Utah into Oregon, east to South Dakota, finally dropping south, back to Missouri and home. It was a thrill to finally see places we'd heard, read and seen pictures of since childhood. As the photos here show; the road can be long and straight, the rest stops amazingly beautiful, small town churches found to meditate, but one thing never changes . . . the roadside signs and billboards . . . from Burma Shave, to Wall Drug, to Blizzards. And the cat slept through it all!

PETRIFIED FOREST AND PAINTED DESERT

What a treat to see a National Park Ranger on horseback as we entered the Petrified Forest. The ever present souvenir shop before entering the park was there too, with more than a few junker cars out front to make the place look really busy. The Petrified Forest, long ago, was a swampy, tropical forest. After millions of years the submerged dead trees petrified and left what we see today. People, as recently as the early 1900s, were still walking across the petrified 'Agate Bridge' tree. The Painted Desert was not as colorful as memory suggested. Some rain might have brightened the colors. We got a kick out of the Route 66 memorial.

GRAND CANYON RAILROAD

One way to get to the Grand Canyon (South Rim) is the Grand Canyon Railroad, which is a 2+ hour ride from Williams, AZ. We camped near Williams and spent the day riding the rails out and back, plus 4 hours on the Grand Canyon rim. The railroad originally was to transport tourists out to lodging along the Canyon and some of that continues to this day, but most folks, like us, were day trippers. We were entertained before departure and while on the train by old west characters reliving the wild west. Eventually we, and a few thousand friends, arrived at the Canyon.

GRAND CANYON

Neither Jeanne nor I had ever been to the Grand Canyon. After visiting I have to admit that our expectations were jaded by a lifetime of viewing world class pictures and films. Yes, it is grand, it is big, and magnificent. But it was hazy and when you turned 180 degrees from viewing the Canyon you were often confronted with crowds of people and assorted food stands. Ah, nature. I suppose the thing to do next time is plan a hike farther out along the rim or down the Canyon. The Hopi House was interesting and the dancing/music a special treat.

BRYCE CANYON

Bryce Canyon was an interesting contrast to the expansiveness of the Grand Canyon, with large vertical rock formations reminiscent of castles or Asian temples, often close enough that you could see a great deal of detail in the stone. The intense orange and red tones of the rocks and soil made a lasting impression. The various viewing venues were easy to access and you generally were above the rocky vistas. A late afternoon thunderstorm created an interesting contrast of dark rainy sky against bright, sunny rock structures.