Escalante, Utah - March 22, 2007 (Re-run)

 With motor home service complete, we resumed our journey and headed for the remote town of Escalante, population 800 give or take.  Escalante was named for one of the Spanish priests, Fathers Dominguez and Escalante, who in 1776 led an expedition across the Southwest in search of a better route to the California missions.  They never reached California, so their mission was unsuccessful, but they "discovered" many places never before seen by Europeans.  All across the Southwest are natural features named after one or the other.  In this area, there are the Escalante mountains, Escalante desert, Escalante River, and the town of Escalante.  There may be others.

We arrived here not realizing just how much  there is to do in the area, therefore allotting too little time.  However, future trips  would help atone for the error.  One thing we did right away was drive the scenic 38 mile back road that loops through the wilderness and emerges at the town of Boulder, about 25 miles north of Escalante.

This area is so rugged, it was the last place in the U.S. to get mail service, delivered by mule via the Boulder Mail Trail, now a renowned  hiking trail.  Death Hollow is another hike that commands attention.

Valley of Fire S P, Nevada (Part 3) - March 20, 2007 (Re-run)

Medical Update

My ostomy reversal surgery was successfully completed on June 29, and I returned home on July 1.  My stay in the hospital was so easy and smooth, excluding a couple expected accidents, I began to think this might be a walk in the park.  However, shortly after arriving at home, things began to deteriorate. The next several days were tough, with fever, weakness and achiness, coupled with the typical issues associated with retraining my guts to do their job.  That process may take a while, no one can say for sure.  At any rate, I'm feeling much better today and optimistic once again. 

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This wraps up the Valley of Fire State Park visit, with more of the colorful rock formations found there. This area north of  Las Vegas has many wonderful outdoor attractions in addition to this park, so I highly recommend it if you get the opportunity to see it.