From July 1-July 15th we drove 4, 074 miles heading west from Austin visiting, hiking and camping in seven National & State Parks & Forests in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico & Texas! Happy 100th Birthday National Park Service thank you for preserving wide open spaces and allowing us to escape and admire your beauty!!!!!
First stop our favorite city in the high desert of far west Texas- Marfa!
During this visit, we got to stay at Julie Speed’s house
Iso posing for Julie
Julie & Fran’s guest room/studio
Next stop home of Kay’s spirit Saguaro’s- Tuscon, AZ
We spent the night with K’s college professor -Anthropoloist Rich
DREAM Beaver breakfast meet in Scottsdale, AZ with fellow road travelers Moayedi Kinney clan who were en route from El Paso to Hawaii!
Getting ready for our two nights of camping and hiking around Grand Canyon National Park!!
Sunset over the Grand Canyon 
Heading into Utah went off the beaten path- or should I say highway and drove for a few hours in Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument. Nearly 3,000 square miles of sun-drenched Utah backcountry spread out well beyond the visible horizon from the road. That’s nearly 1.9-million acres of colorful sandstone cliffs soaring above narrow slot canyons; picturesque washes and seemingly endless slickrock; prehistoric village sites and abandoned old Western movie sets, among many other treasures.
Next stop, Bryce Canyon National Park! Definitely our favorite camping spot and hiking stop on the trip!
Chilly morning at Bryce Canyon 
Afternoon hang while I go hike the canyon 
A couple hour solo hike in and around the canyon along the Navajo Loop! 
Navajo Loop
Queen Victoria’s Garden 
Truck stop somewhere in Utah 
Arches National Park 
Balance Rock in Arches National Park
Kate had to teach in at the Mother Earth News Fair in Wisconsin. Iso and I dropped her off in Denver and spent the next two nights camping and hiking in Pike National Forest in Colorado. A nice reprieve from the red rocks and hot Arizona and Utah sun!
Yikes! 
Room with a view
Elevation over 11,000 feet! 
wild horses in the valley 
brief encounter with civilization Georgetown, CO – picturesque mountain town 
When is Colorado…
Sunset in Denver -on way to pick K up at airport 
After spending 7 days in a tent – it was time for a real bed, an indoor shower and laundry! – Frieda’s Cabin on a Goji Berry Eco Farm just outside Taos, NM was Aaamazing! 
morning run in the mountains of New Mexico
best mole enchilada’s I EVER had
Back to Texas – our growing family announcement photo in the Davis Mountains
Happy Campers
After 15 days in mostly desert conditions my body was happy to be back in water of San Solomon Springs in Balmorhea State Park! 
Not sure Iso felt the same way about Balmorhea
Final evening, sunset of the trip – at Davis Mountains State Park
Last morning of family road trip
Things that make me click... 