Destination Guides - Southpoint.com Blog

Remembering December 7, 1941 - 68 Years Ago Today

I talked with Quinton Pyle when visiting the National Museum of the Pacific War in the popular small town of Fredericksburg, Texas.

An unassuming man, one knows little that Quinton Pyle was eyewitness to a world and life changing event. On that fateful day on December 7th, he saw up close as the USS Arizona exploded as it was hit by Japanese torpedos on that fateful day at Pearl Harbor that led us into WWII. His ship, the USS Bagley, was the first to return fire and down a Japanese plane. He showed me his arm where the wounds from that day can still be seen. I pray that he is still alive for others to hear his story and others like him who are our Greatest Generation.
Read more.

Wild West Trip: Day 10 Part II - Colorado National Monument

   
While in Grand Junction we took a quick trip through the Colorado National Monument, home to a spectacular display of red sandstone and formations covering 23,000-acres.
There were several tunnels through the rock that were blasted out by workers during the Great Depression who felt fortunate to even have a job. This road took much back breaking work to make. A sign in the park commemorates several local men who died when a rock formation above them collapsed while they were working on the road. The road was completed in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The overlooks and guardwalls were all stonework done mostly by hand.
 
We were quite surprised at the many scenic views and formations created from the great forces of nature along the 23-mile stretch of Rim Rock Drive. Ranchers used to use narrow passages to for cattle to reach the green highland pastures above.
   
Photo of Independence Monument, a good example of the steady advance of erosion on the rocks as the surrounding walls around this monument have worn away.
   
Old twisted trees. I love to take photos of them... Image of monuments with rooflike capstone rocks on their peaks.
 
In walking through the Colorado National Monument, the sandstone walls and formations are witness to 1.6 billion years of natural history, with numerous formation layers.
   
As we exited the park, we saw a few large houses that blended in well with the natural landscape.

Wild West Trip: Day 10 - Moab to Grand Junction, CO

  
The next morning we took a walk around the shops in Moab. One shop included some of the rare dinosaur bones that have been uncovered in the area that I noted on in a previous blog entry.
See the photo below. The large stone at left is part of a dinosaur leg. We meandered around town for awhile then hitched up the RV and headed across the border into Colorado.
  
In Grand Junction, Colorado we stopped in at the Junction West RV Park for an overnight stay to check our email, and to do our laundry. We met some nice folks who were just getting started RVing. Besides being the largest city in between Salt Lake City and Denver, Grand Junction is home to the Colorado National Monument, a spectacular display of red sandstone covering 23,000-acres. We were surprised at the many views and formations along the 23-mile Rim Rock Drive. Look for more on the Colorado National Monument in our next segment.
  

Balsam Mountain Inn - Feature Accommodation

Wild West Trip: Day 9 Part III - Arches National Park

Over 2,000 unique arches can be found throughout Arches National Park. We tried our best to see them all in an afternoon... These unique arches are comprised of sandstone that have been slowly eroded by the effects of rain, sun, and time. First, we stopped in at the Visitor's Center for a walking stick medallion to add to my collection, and then on to capture all the sights before sunset.

View at right is along Park Avenue Trail, with the Courthouse Towers with the Tower of Babel formation in the distance. They have changed little since 10 years ago when we were last here. The major change is Wall Arch is no more. The 71-foot span fell on August 5, 2008, a victim of the forces of time.

The sandstone and sculpted slickrock formations in Arches National Park were formed from 100 million years of erosion and underground salt beds. We could see the snow peaked La Sal Mountains in the distance. The mountains were so named by Spanish explorers who thought they looked like piles of salt when covered by snow.

If you look closely in the second photo above you can see some teens who climbed this spire. The park service doesn't take kindly to these shenanigans, and the sandstone can be quite fragile. It was also quite windy...

We drove past Petrified Dunes, which are ancient giant sand dunes turned to stone. We stopped to walk around the Balanced Rock which stands precariously by itself on top of a pinnacle. We hiked the Windows Trails up to the North Window (see above).

There are over 2,000 arches to view in this tranquil place. In the photo above you can get a perspective of the size of Delicate Arch with the person standing underneath. Delicate Arch is the most popular, and appears on the Utah license plate. There are three trails which provide views of this arch. We took the half mile viewpoint trail to get a glimpse. Another, more strenuous three mile (round trip, allow 2 to 3 hours) hiking trail offers a close view after walking along a rock ledge for 200 yards.

At the Fiery Furnace, a maze of spires create an intricate array of miniature canyons. Native Americans traveled these lands for thousands of years, leaving evidence of petroglyph and pictograph drawings.

As we got back to our RV park after dark I wondered what the pioneers thought as they traveled out West and went to sleep in their wagons dreaming of this new frontier...