Bryce Canyon Hoodoos Never Fail to Intrigue

To the Piaute, they were the "Legend People." Ages ago, men and women who acted offensively were punished for their misdeeds by being turned into stone, forced to stand for an eternity.

Later, when Europeans began traveling across the vastness of the country by steel rail, a railroad company brochure said this: "When lighted by the morning sun the gorgeous chasm is an immense bowl of lace and filigree work in stone, colored with the white of frost and the pinks of glowing embers. To those who have not forgotten the story books of childhood it suggests a playground for fairies. In another aspect it seems a smoldering inferno where goblins and demons might dwell among flames and embers."

What are they? The spires that inspire--the "Hoodoos" of Bryce Canyon.

These most unusual rock formations are found through many areas of the Colorado Plateau, but an exceptional "collection" if you will, is protected at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. The park is "off the beaten track," but a real "must see" for those who are intrigued by the forces of nature that create such unusual formations.

RV camping is available here, and its a good thing, as trailer towing is restricted in some of the better view points. Leave the trailer in camp and explore the wierdness of the park. We think the best time to view the Hoodoos is early in the morning or late evening, when the light plays tricks with shadows and deep color.

photo: R & T DeMaris, all rights reserved.

Arizona's Karchner Caverns a Great Summer Cool Spot

Traveling through the Arizona hot country? It's seemingly endless desert landscape can tire the patience of even the most sainted RVer. Will this hot stuff ever end? It does under the ground, and we aren't talking about taking a "dirt nap." Just off south east Arizona's Interstate 10 you'll find a cool place to visit, along with some spectacular underground scenery like you've never seen before at Karchner Caverns.

Back in the 1970's, two young cave explorers were poking around in a big sinkhole near Benson, Arizona. A blast of warm air emanating from a crack in the sinkhole led them into a huge limestone cavern filled with thrilling sights: Unusual limestone formations, apparently unseen by human eyes, perhaps forever. They held the cave a secret for many years, finally bringing the property owners in on their find. Eventually a deal was banged out with Arizona State Parks, who purchased the property, and carefully protected their new asset until they could be developed in a way that would safeguard the cavern's outstanding features.

These caverns are "living," in that the growth of limestone formations is still ongoing. The slow, steady drip of mineral bearing water over the centuries has slowly built up formations. And they are truly outstanding--you may have seen stalactites and stalagmites before, but have you ever seen a turnip shield? How about birdsnest needle quartz?

The "off season" of June to early September yields tour bargains. The one and a half hour tour is well worth the regular admission price. Adding a big discount is just icing on the--cavern.

Check out more great sights with: Monumental Places National Parks & Monuments in the Grand Canyon state.

photos: Top by Mike Lewis under Creative Commons license--you are free to share and make derivative works of the file under the conditions that you appropriately attribute it, and that you distribute it only under a license identical to this one. Official license. Bottom: R&T DeMaris.

Utah rock shop housed in big 'rock' is good stop

Mickey Davis and her husband Don operate The Rock Shop in Orderville, Utah., along lonely U.S. 89 east of Zion National Park.

The shop attracts visitors from all over the world. When we stopped, Mickey promptly led us to big maps near the restrooms and made us stick a little pin on our town. The map has hundreds of pins, plus there's another map of Europe with more pins. The maps have been up only two months so you know a lot of people have stopped by.

Most visitors are tourists. They are attracted to the shop because it looks like its inside a sandstone rock as big as a house. But it's not rock, just plaster, paper and chicken wire. It's 30 years old and still looking handsome for a fake rock. The original owner built replicas of dinosaurs, some of which you can see in a Vernal, Utah museum.

Mickey and Don quit their corporate jobs in Las Vegas two years ago, she with Safeway, he with Camping World, to head to the sticks. It had just come to the point in their lives where they were so busy they never saw each other. Heck with that!

There are all kinds of rocks at The Rock Shop, and fossils, too. For $20 you can buy a really nice fish fossil. Or you can buy a dinosaur bone. The soft serve ice cream is good --most folks go for chocolate/vanilla swirl.

If you like rocks, you should stop by The Rock Shop. Mickey will talk your ear off, which is a good thing because she is a very interesting and nice person.

The friendly, hungry, ugly carp of Lake Mohave, Arizona

A short drive from Oatman, Ariz., and Laughlin, Nevada is the Lake Mohave resort of Katherine Landing. Visitors, including those who stay at the RV park, enjoy feeding the hungry, ugly and tame carp at the marina.

May is Great Time to RV to Netherlands Carillon

Back East with your RV? May is a great time to drop over to Virginia and experience the Netherlands Carillon. A gift from the Netherlands to the citizens of the United States, the carillon is a set of 50 tuned bells, located on the George Washington Memorial Parkway at Route 50 in Arlington.

Most of the year the carillon rings out tunes, played by computer. However, May marks the start of the season when human carillonneurs will sit down at the keyboard to set the bells to ringing during Saturday concerts from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. And on the 25th of this month, visitors are allowed to watch carionneur perform, as well as climb up the bell tower for some spectacular views from on high.

Miss the concerts in May? They'll continue to occur on Saturday afternoons and on national holidays through September.

RVers Can Rent Boats, ATVs, and More at Destination

Henry David Thoreau warned: "Beware of ventures requiring new clothes." As RVers, most of us have the clothes we need at any stop. But imagine arriving at your destination and finding warm weather, and beautiful lake, and no way to explore it. Instead of buying new equipment, here's a way you might be able to rent it--at a reduced cost.

Rich Hall spent eight years in the RV rental business, helping folks learn about the joys of the RV lifestyle without having to plunk down a large amount of cash to buy a rig. Now Rich has a new wrinkle: A web site where folks with RVs, motorcyles, boats, ATVs and other "recreational equipment" can offer to rent them out to folks who likewise don't want to plunk down a wad of cash to buy something they may need for only a short time. The site, rentzio.com, offers a meeting place for folks wanting to rent recreational equipment to find folks who have it to rent.

Hall's operation breaks down the US into states, and pull-down menus help would-be renters find equipment within the state, or within a given mile radius of any city. Those with equipment can provide full details of the equipment, photos, and more right on the site. Neither renter nor rental provider are charged for the servivce. We wondered how Hall could make much of a living, and he told us advertising revenues from links and banners are keeping the site going while he builds up for the future. Eventually, Hall tells us, there may be a "flat rate" fee charged to equipment owners.

Meantime, if you're looking for an ATV to investigate the dunes near Yuma, or a ski-doo to shoot through the waters of a nearby lake, check out rentzio.com.

This May be the Year to RV Yellowstone

If the seeming "dire" predictions of the local visitor bureaus are correct, this might be the year to consider a long-delayed trip to Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding country. According to published reports, reservations are solid for July and August, but "shoulder season" books are down nearly 13%.

With fuel prices looking like they won't go into orbit anytime soon, and the flexibility of RVing, a late spring visit or early fall arrival might be just the ticket if you've never been to this quiet corner of the country.