Author: Lori

From Great Basin NP we headed to Salt Lake City KOA in, you guessed it, Salt Lake City Utah! Our first full day we spent touring Temple Square. I love to learn about different religions. This monument  is located at Temple Square and has inscribed scripture and doctrine of the Mormon LDS faith.

We joined a tour given by missionaries. These young men and woman spend 18 months at Temple Square. There are not permitted outside the Square and have one day a week of preparation. They are forbidden social media and  the Web. They are given 1 hour a week to email their family.  One of our Missionaries was from Sweden and the other, Texas. 

The Square was meticulously landscaped. Terri noted their was not one dead petunia to be found:

There is beautiful architecture  throughout the square:

Below is some of the interior of the Joseph Smith memorial Building This was once a Hotel and now holds a few restaurants and meeting rooms. Joseph Smith Junior founded the Mormon religion in late 1920’s. He was living in Western New York and published the Book Of Mormon. In 1844, Smith was killed and most Mormons followed Brigham Young West to the area that became Utah Territory.  They called themselves The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

In the main lobby sits a baby grand piano and we saw at least two different pianist entertaining visitors.

The temple was not open to the public for tours. There was a replica model at the North Visitor Center.

We did get to go into the Tabernacle to hear an organist. The Organ in the tabernacle has over 10,000 pipes. According to the missionary, only  5 people in the world know how to play this organ. You must have a PHD to play. They have recitals a few times a day. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir practices are open to the public as well. We did not have an opportunity to hear the choir.

The North Visitor’s Center also has a statue of Jesus. Terr i and I stopped to say a prayer.

We later visited the home of Brigham Young called the Beehive House. The Lion House was also a residence of Brigham Young as he had multiple wives and children. The Lion House has a cafe on the bottom floor and the rest is not open for tours.

For this tour, there were two other young missionaries who guided us through the home.  Visitors were forbidden access to the upstairs. One of the missionaries asked the guest how do they think people accessed the upstairs. A gentleman answered “A ladder.” The young missionary responded, “Yes and that is how we got our name,  “The Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder Day Saints.”  Terri laughed hysterically. Later,  the same missionary pointed to multiple portraits of Brigham Young that were lined up on the wall. These portraits were done throughout his lifetime and the young woman said, “Here you can see Brigham Young to Brigham Old.” Again, Terri laughed hysterically…She still giggles when we talk about that tour…

 

After the Cave tour we decided to do the Bristlecone hike which is 2.8 miles to a grove of ancient  Bristlecone pines. Some 5,000 years old. We climbed 1200 feet in elevation to overlook the grove. This is my favorite hike so far. The drive up to the trail went for miles up the mountain with stunning overlooks:

As you can see, the clouds were thickening in the distance. The aroma of pine was so sweet, not overpowering. As I mentioned, the hike was 1200 feet in elevation through the woods. When we were 2/10 of a mile from the top, it began to thunder. We made the wise decision to turn around, because  as soon as we reached the truck, it began to pour.

Here are some pics from the hike:

What a great day! I can still smell the pine….

 

On July 11th we arrived at the Whispering Elms RV Park in Baker Nevada; eight  miles from Utah and a different time zone.  Baker is a very small town, but has three restaurants.  Two, sit next to one and other, and the third is directly across the street ! There is a VERY small Grocery store attached to one of the restaurants. We were running low on supplies and spent a lot of money for just a few items. I’m thinking it is probably cheaper for people to eat out than to prepare their own meals in Baker.

The RV park is not only for RV’s and tenting, but there is also a  motel on the property. However, my favorite part was when I went to register and pay for the site, the office was a bar! A full bar and it only opened  4 pm- 8 pm. There were two customers in the bar. Not that I frequent bars, it was just something totally unexpected at an RV Park. So I called Terri and told her to get up here. She was tired from the drive and told me take my time and have fun. So I did. I had 2 beers, and sat and talked to an older couple who have been to many National Parks. The gentleman was a Veteran and he and his wife have a love of nature. they had some interesting stories and advise for our Journey. I love meeting people.

Our site was next to a nice couple- George and Anne. They also do a lot of traveling to National Parks.  They said they “like to spend their kid’s inheritance and have no problem doing it! ” George is a mountain climber and avid hiker.

We  rested up the evening of the 11th  in anticipation of spending a full day at the park the following day.

Initially I thought, ” Another cave, can’t beat Carlsbad and looks like there is some hiking.”  It wasn’t the type of park that would stun you with it’s beauty immediately, like Bryce or Arches. It’s beauty was much more subtle and for me, it ended up being my favorite cave tour and  favorite hike so far.

We started the day at Lehman Caves. The name is  plural, but there is only one cave. We had a young female Ranger who had only been at Lehman for two and a half months. She was very informative, but really needed to give up the caffeine.  She appeared nervous, and couldn’t stop  fidgeting.  Nonetheless, she was extremely intelligent and a wealth of information. She appointed Terri to be the caboose of the tour which meant Terri would carry a flashlight and when the guide saw the light at the end, she knew everyone was accounted for.

Terri took her role seriously and was hilarious at the same time,  especially when we reached narrowing passages. In this cave tour, there was a lot more stooping and squeezing through tight spots. Terri kept yelling at me for stopping to take photos.

Lehman Cave is unique because of it’s Shield formations. Lehman Cave has the highest concentration of these formations, over 300.

Shields consist of 2 oval or round parallel plates with a in crack between them. When the bottom plate gets too heavy with decorations, like draperies or stalactites the plates separate like an Oreo cookie.I did not take a lot of photos, namely because Terri was yelling at me, and because we were in a lot of small spaces, the flash could be bothersome to other people on the tour.

This is a great link to explain cave formations :

https://www.nps.gov/grba/learn/nature/cave-geology-in-depth.htm

I took these photos at Lehman Caves-

Here are  photos of cave popcorn : Here is Flow-stone:Soda straws, which eventually thicken and become stalactites or stalagmites:I did not get photos of Draperies or Cave Bacon at Lehman but here are some examples I shot at Carlsbad:The Bacon is the wavy illuminated decoration:Column:Here is an active stalactite: The water contains calcite which will deposit onto the stalactite. This stalactite will take 100 years to grow an  inch.

From the discovery of Lehman caves in 1885 up until 1922 when it was designated a National Monument, the cave was used for entertainment purposes.  Couples were wed in the cave. Dinners were held inside. People could pay to spend the night. The interior of the cave suffered a lot of damage as people would break off pieces of soda straws for souvenirs.

All three caves Terri and I have toured are Limestone caves. The caves are at a constant temperature, with no exposure to the elements, therefore anything inside is well preserved.  In one of the rooms with a much lower ceiling,  people would write their names or other graffiti with  the flame of a candle. Here is an example from the late 1800’s that appears to have been written recently:

The Ranger pointed out, this area must have been slippery as the person wrote Skate Rink. The tour was 90 minutes and it went by very quickly. Terri reluctantly relinquished her duties as Caboose…

 

 

The last full day at Bryce we decided to get the bikes out and ride the path that ran 5 miles into Bryce. The bike path also ran in the opposite direction along scenic Route 12 through part of  the Dixie National Forrest.

It was hot and the section that ran through the Dixie National Forrest was very hilly….

It was a tough but great ride and we totaled up over 36 miles

What I haven’t shared yet is that Terri is currently on chemo. She finished up 6 months of IV chemo in mid May and started oral  chemo when we began our trip. She is truly amazing… We have hiked and biked in 100 degree weather. Today we biked another 20  miles and now we are going to play golf…Truly amazing. Truly an inspiration….

Zion Naitonal Park is located less than 75 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park. We were told early on in our planning, not to take the RV to this park. So we scheduled extra time at Bryce so we could take a day to visit Zion. As a side note, we visited Zion on the 9th and on the 11th , monsoon rain hit the park and the cell remained over the park for days. Some campers were stranded and most of the trails were closed.  By the 14th, the park closed.

There were two tunnels to go through, one short – and one long and  very dark tunnel. If a large RV needs to go through the longer tunnel, they shut it down to one lane. It would be pretty hairy passing a big RV in this.The ride to the park entrance was beautiful:

This park was different from any of the ones we have visited so far. You are not permitted to drive through the park and must use a free shuttle service. You must park your vehicle and yes, pay for parking. You also pay an entrance fee to the park. We purchased an annual pass. If you plan on visiting more than one park- get the pass. The pass was $69.00 and most entrance fees are $30.00.  The park has a scenic drive with multiple overlooks and trails. It was very difficult to see anything from the shuttle bus and the bus will not just stop for you to  check out an overlook.  You would have to wait for the next shuttle to pick  you up.

From the visitors center we did a short, but very steep hike to what was described as an archaeological site.  They asked that you do not  disrupt the ruins and artifacts. The area up top was not very big at all. We looked and looked  -there were no ruins or artifacts. What we did see was the parking lot below. There were some  nice views from the top:

Terri and I decided to take the shuttle to the end of the scenic drive then, on the way back, we would stop at the overlooks and wait for the next shuttle. While waiting for the shuttle,  we made a friend:

We would run into many of his cousins throughout the day. None of them were shy. By the time we reached the end of the scenic drive, I had Terri convinced to try Hiking the Narrows. This is the most popular part of the park. First you must hike a  2.2 mile Riverside trail to  access the Narrows.  This  is a river that runs through a narrowing canyon.  It was a nice hike along the riverside. There was a steady stream of people going to and coming from this popular attraction while the skies were thickening with clouds. Walking the riverbed and through the water was really something. We used our trekking poles to help with the slick river rock: We started to hear thunder and high tailed it out of there. The rain was light at first, but by the time we reached the shuttle stop, it was torrential! This was the beginning of the rains that have flooded Zion and caused them to close the park 2 days ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we were planning this Journey, I was most looking forward to Utah and all the National Parks this state has to offer. For Terri, she is most excited about Yellowstone.  I envisioned Terri and I at the overlooks, hiking the trails and biking through the parks. Utah has more than lived up to my day dreams. Terri was taken aback by Bryce as well.

Bryce far exceeded any visions I may have had in my head, photos I may have seen, documentaries I may have watched. Describing Bryce in words is like trying to describe the Grand Canyon, no words can do it justice. When we first arrived and I saw the view,  I was overcome with emotion. So I am not going to attempt to put any of this in words. We hiked a short distance of the Queen’s Palace  and then Hiked the rim of the Amphitheater from Bryce point to Sunrise Point. After our hikes, we finished the day driving the rest of the scenic route.

Enjoy:

For an explanation of how these Hoodoos are formed check out the link below-

https://www.nps.gov/brca/learn/nature/hoodoos.htm

It started to rain while we were driving the scenic route. This is the first rain we have seen on our Journey since our drive to Lebanon Ohio a  month ago. The temperature dropped from low 80’s  to

In an hour and a half.

Such amazing beauty! The Bryce Canyon area was settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1850s and was named after Ebenezer Bryce, who homesteaded in the area in 1874. He once described the Canyon as, “A hell of a place to loose a cow.”

 

 

 

We stayed at Thousand Lakes RV Park in Torrey Utah. Torrey is a quaint little town and it was their Apple Days celebration  weekend. Here was the view from our camper:

We even got a bike ride in our last night there:

The Capital Reef is a wrinkle  in the earth,  a water pocket fold that extends 100 miles from the Capital Reef to Lake Powell. I did not notice this fold until we drove to the end of the scenic route and traveled back. There is a definite tilt in the earth. I had a hard time wrapping my head around a water pocket fold. Here is a link to the National Park Service publication that makes it easy to understand.

https://www.nps.gov/care/learn/nature/geology.htm

We started the day with a recommended hike to the Hickman Natural Bridge. It was listed as moderate. It was roughly a 2  mile hike round trip, with some steep inclines and  loose gravel that made footing sketchy . I slipped twice, thank God it was in the lower areas and not  in the higher points near a drop off. 

Finally- the reveal:

Half way up this hike, Terri and I ran into a husband and wife who had an elderly woman with them. This woman had to be in her eighties. This was a moderate hike, in 90 degree + heat. Terri wanted to call Area Agency on Ageing. We don’t know if she went all the way to the bridge, but even half of this hike would be too much for someone of that age. A younger couple had turned around because they did not have trekking poles.

Another family was hiking together and there was a younger boy who was  playing under a small arch some distance from us. His Aunt yelled, “Hi Cooper!” and he yelled  back to his Aunt… Terri thought the woman called him “Pooper” and Terri yelled, “Hi Pooper!”  – We are not going to die falling off a cliff, we will be shot by angry tourists!

I almost tripped over this spike-

We had some fun posing in the rocks:

Going back was a bit easier:

So after the hike, we stopped at the Gifford store and museum. We bought a small apple pie and some Peach preserves. We saw signs to pick your own apricots- so we did:

Terri is not stealing, you are allowed to eat as many as you want and then its $1:00/lbs. Terri pronounces Apricots with a long A, I pronounce it with a short A. So we compromised and  just called them “cots” like the  locals.

The trees were picked over, but two pounds of cots were plenty. They were very good and the deer obviously think so too. I was this close- no need to zoom my I Phone camera:

I’m not sure if these photos really show the tilt,  but I could definitely see it driving along the scenic route.

Great day at the Capital Reef NP, Utah. We spent the following day relaxing at the campground and did a short bike ride in the evening.

 

 

 

 

 

After the bike ride, we ventured 1 and 1/2 hours to the Needles district of Canyonlands NP. The sights were beautiful however, I was anticipating driving through a narrow road with the towering needles on both sides. We come to learn , this can only be done via a short wheel based 4 wheel drive jeep. So we viewed the needles from a distance.

We did get an opportunity to do some interesting hikes, One was called Pothole point. The texture of the rock again looks like the moon.

When these potholes fill with  water they come alive and create their own ecosystem. From www.visitutah.com- 

The name Pothole Point comes from the numerous “potholes” that have formed in the slickrock along the trail. The potholes trap water after a desert rain. The rainwater is mildly acidic and ever so slowly enlarges the pothole. An intricate, symbiotic animal community featuring shrimp, worms, snails, and perhaps even a Great Basin spadefoot toad gradually develops in some potholes. If you’re lucky enough to visit Pothole Point shortly after a rain, you can observe these tiny ecosystems…Over time the wind continuously blows dirt, sand, and small bits of organic material into the potholes. Eventually plants take root in the thin layer of soil. The first sign of life in a pothole is often the cryptobiotic soil, which provides the foundation for growth of larger plants. The end result is a “pothole garden,” a pocket of miniature, bonsai-like vegetation in a bowl of solid rock.

The  trail is marked with cairns. This is true at all the parks. To stay on the trail, you follow the cairns or small stacks of rocks-

Terri pronounces it “Karen” and when she can’t see one she yells, “Karen where are you?Where did Karen go? KAAREN! Then she goes right into her rendition of “Rainy Days and Mondays.”  Between,  Islands in the Stream, Rainy Days and Mondays and Donna Summer…. Give me some Nineties Alternative music PLEASE!

She didn’t notice her “Karen” a few yards ahead.

From Pothole Point you can see the Needles:

I love these rock formations:

Speaking of rocks, on the way to Needles we rounded a curve and this is what we saw:

It felt like the truck just cleared the big rock. I even ducked because as you see, it was on the passenger side! Thank God we were not towing our travel trailer.

Then we stopped to see another “Newspaper  Rock”  to see petroglyphs. I think every National Park has a Newspaper Rock- but this was the Sunday edition-

 

Some other interesting pics from our day at The Needles:

See the wooden shoe?

 

 

The following morning we awoke at 5:30 AM  and started on the trail by 6:00 AM . This time we  road past Arches NP toward Route 313.

A mile or so past the Park starts a very steep inclining switchback that leads to the top of the mountain.  This was an 8 % grade. Terri had said she wanted to see how high the road went.

As we passed people, or they passed us, they would say, “You’re almost there!”We trudged up in “Granny Gear” and  I kept saying “You got this, we are almost there”. The encouragement was followed by sarcasm as I had to mention it was her damn  idea! We were 50 yards from the top when Terri said she could not do anymore. She urged me to go on and she would wait for me. Hell no! We were 50 yards from her goal. I  told her she could, that she did have it in her and she was getting to the top of this hill.  She dug deep and made it to the top!This morning ride was far more than a bike ride, This ride is symbolic of all her Journeys. Her Healing Journey, Our Faith Journey, our Relationship Journey and this Journey to see the National Parks. There have been many times , in all the aforementioned, she felt she did not have it in her to continue. Then, she digs deep and conquers!  You can see the sheer joy in her smile; the joy of making it to the top. By the way, the ride back was MUCH easier –

What a Ride! What a Woman! What a Survivor! ….oh yeah, we still had to go to Needles part of the park and hike…

 

 

 

Terri had 6  months of Gemcitabine IV chemo after her initial surgery in January 2014. Chemo ended mid September and in the first week of  October, she road the Seagull Century ride. She completed 69 miles of a 100 mile ride from Salisbury University in  Maryland to Assateague Island and back. Truly incredible accomplishment. This drive has been the force behind her defiance of this diagnosis.

She underwent a colostomy reversal in December of 2014. Dr. P did that surgery as well.  We love Dr. P and his staff, they are remarkable people and have genuinely cared for Terri’s well – being.

After a period of recuperation, Terri appeared to be doing very well.  Little by little the tumor markers began to rise. 30-40 points at a time.  The Oncologist would tell Terri not to worry because the scans were not showing any evidence of disease. Terri felt well and we  were enjoying our lives. In June Terri, a group of friends and myself, decided to do the Great Allegheny Passage and Tow Path again. A ride from the Point in Pittsburgh to Washington D.C.  The ride is approximately 335 miles:

 

We appeared to be getting our lives back; camping, biking, golfing,  and enjoying family  and friends.

It was mid December 2015 and Terri had her regular check up with her oncologist.  I remember we waited for over two hours to see him.  When he walked in the room, Terri asked for the results of the PET Scan. He asked how she was feeling.  Then he said she had a re- occurrence. The PET Scan lit up on her scar.  Our hearts dropped simultaneously. He began to talk about Terri having to have chemo for the rest of her life. Microscopic cells. Staying ahead of the cancer. He just kept repeating, “Chemo the rest of your life,” regardless of what scenario we presented. He said she would be back on chemo , after the holidays. The Chemo regime would consist of two; gemcitabine and abraxane. This was the standard for re-occurrence of pancreatic cancer  Our heads were spinning. I couldn’t quite comprehend the conversation. I remember, after the doctor left the room, Terri and I crying and Terri saying, “this sounds bad.” So much appeared to be left up in the air, unsettled. Unanswered. For days we walked around in a fog.

I am writing this story from my perspective. The perspective of a woman who is experiencing the love of her life, battling pancreatic cancer.  Terri and I discussed blogging this Journey for quite a while. There are ground rules in place; no naming or pictures of family and friends. People we mention in the Blog are people we have met along the way and we ask their permission, prior to posting. Terri approves what I post, but she will not read the posts that tell of the other Journey. The story that brought us to this Journey.  I appreciate her trust. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be her but I do aspire to be like her.  I truly admire the woman she is;  the courage she possesses  and the determination, faith and defiance that drives her.

A few days after that doctor’s visit, I was out doing some last minute Christmas shopping when I called home to check on Terri. Her voice was cracking, faint and emotionless. I asked what was wrong. She preceded to tell me she just got off the phone with the Physician Assistant at the Oncologist office. Terri said she called the PA to ask what exactly the doctor meant. The PA told Terri, statistically she had 6 months to a year to live.  I rushed home. We sat in silence for quite some time, holding one and other. Those words eclipsed everything; our hopes to grow old together, Terri’s dreams of experiencing the birth and lives of future grandchildren, our retirement, everything we were planning to do. We planned to grow old and be the Christmas tree ornaments I bought the year prior:

As you can guess, I am the one with the flotation ring and Terri says she is the one  who has to carry everything.  This was going to be us 30 years from now…..

We walked around in a bad dream state for weeks, barely sleeping. Running over the conversations again and again- looking for one word, one syllable,  to hang some hope. Terri talked about not even doing the chemo if she was only going to live for 6 months. I felt we hadn’t tried everything. We hadn’t looked elsewhere;  sought a second opinion.  We questioned why was the tumor on her scar? The re-occurrence appeared , not on an organ, but on her abdominal wall.  We should look elsewhere for answers. When Terri started chemo, we asked the doctor about seeking second opinions. His response; “You can get as many opinions as you like. We asked if he would work with someone else. His response, “I will not work with anyone else, if you do not trust me, then you need to find someone else. ” Our response- we found someone else…..