trooperdan
06-07-2007, 07:06 AM
Nan and I have just returned from a trip “out west”. We flew into Las Vegas and rented a car, spent one night in town and got outta there quickly!
We toured the Hoover Dam on the way to the Grand Canyon, the dam is impressive but the Canyon is beyond words. The initial sight almost made Nan cry! Your mind just cannot comprehend what your eyes are seeing! We spent the day walking part of the Bright Angel trail then spent the night at the Maswick Lodge. Awoke refreshed for a day of touring the rim. A person could spend a lifetime exploring that area and still not touch the surface of all that is there! On the Bright Angel trail we watched a mountain goat grazing on a ledge with at least a 1,000 sheer drop; that was stomach-turning enough but she had two kids with her that I was certain were going to take a fall and I didn’t want to see it! They did fine though.
From there we went to the Lowell Observatory then the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest. Both were impressive but after the Canyon, what can you say? On to Chama NM were I have a small piece of land I don’t get to visit much. A good sign there, Nan liked it so much she started say, “We could put a little cabin here…” Poor girl can’t stand cold weather so I don’t have any hope of moving her out there year-round but maybe I can get here to summer over there.
From there, on to the Raton NM for a FN-FAL fun match at the NRA Whittington Center. What a range and complex that is! We were treated to daily or even twice daily impressive thunderstorms. The storms can’t sneak up on you out west; you can see them coming for hours! Don't ask how I shot though!
The wild-life on the range was interesting; prong-horns grazing through even as you shot! I swear I saw mulies and elk grazing the range with the cows!
We are planning to return to the canyon soon; Nan informs me that we are going to the bottom next time! I’m too heavy for the mule trip and I’m not sure the knees will stand the trip to the river and back but I am “on orders” to shape up and loose some weight! (50 pounds or so she says!)
Maybe next time I can arrange to have a cup of coffee or a beer with some of our members that I know are in the area!
We toured the Hoover Dam on the way to the Grand Canyon, the dam is impressive but the Canyon is beyond words. The initial sight almost made Nan cry! Your mind just cannot comprehend what your eyes are seeing! We spent the day walking part of the Bright Angel trail then spent the night at the Maswick Lodge. Awoke refreshed for a day of touring the rim. A person could spend a lifetime exploring that area and still not touch the surface of all that is there! On the Bright Angel trail we watched a mountain goat grazing on a ledge with at least a 1,000 sheer drop; that was stomach-turning enough but she had two kids with her that I was certain were going to take a fall and I didn’t want to see it! They did fine though.
From there we went to the Lowell Observatory then the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest. Both were impressive but after the Canyon, what can you say? On to Chama NM were I have a small piece of land I don’t get to visit much. A good sign there, Nan liked it so much she started say, “We could put a little cabin here…” Poor girl can’t stand cold weather so I don’t have any hope of moving her out there year-round but maybe I can get here to summer over there.
From there, on to the Raton NM for a FN-FAL fun match at the NRA Whittington Center. What a range and complex that is! We were treated to daily or even twice daily impressive thunderstorms. The storms can’t sneak up on you out west; you can see them coming for hours! Don't ask how I shot though!
The wild-life on the range was interesting; prong-horns grazing through even as you shot! I swear I saw mulies and elk grazing the range with the cows!
We are planning to return to the canyon soon; Nan informs me that we are going to the bottom next time! I’m too heavy for the mule trip and I’m not sure the knees will stand the trip to the river and back but I am “on orders” to shape up and loose some weight! (50 pounds or so she says!)
Maybe next time I can arrange to have a cup of coffee or a beer with some of our members that I know are in the area!