Bill and I had a wonderful reservation only breakfast, seated in the outdoor alcove of the Inn. It meant we were alone for our start of the day, before heading to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in the center of Santa Fe. We had not been to mass since spring but thought this would be a great time to go. Upon our arrival, they asked if we had a reservation. (No, we did not.) “You are in luck! You two are the last walk-ins to be allowed in!” After submitting our names and phone number for contact tracing, spritzing on hand sanitizer, and agreeing to masks throughout service, we were seated in the distanced designated seat.

Since today was the feast day of St. Francis, and the namesake of the Basilica, Archbishop John Weston presided over the service. The orchestra and singing were astounding for a Sunday mass and we felt like we were at a performance. There were probably less than 100 attendees in this beautiful Cathedral, constructed in 1869 on the site of the original adobe church and founded in the same year as the city of Santa Fe in 1610. Once the sacrament was distributed, we had to leave the church and partake outside. We walked around the church park and saw an engraved tree with the Prayer of St. Francis adorning the trunk.

We walked around the beautiful shops in the square until our 11:30 reservation at the Georgia O’Keefe Museum, passing a  bronze statue outside the YMCA building with four children forming the letters. Only a few were allowed in at a time, and Bill and I enjoyed the exhibit immensely before our next reservation for lunch at the Plaza Cafe overlooking the square. It was another perfect weather day to sit outside and enjoy the music from the park and people watching.

This was a day of reservations only, and we are getting the hang of it, so we made reservations for the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum for tomorrow. We had thought about a drive to Taos, but our activities took too long and we have a long drive tomorrow to Oklahoma City, so we picked up our laundry and relaxed for the afternoon. I am impressed with the way New Mexico handles the COVID precautions, even in the restaurants. 

St. George, Utah was an impressive town and we had an even more impressive meal at the Cliffside Restaurant. We ate from a wonderful menu, with a view overlooking the St. George Valley. They won the best of Utah in 2019 and the chefs studied culinary arts at Florida Atlantic University. It was a great ending to our day before we settled into our hotel for the night. We needed our rest for the day at the northern rim of the Grand Canyon.

As Bill remarked, “It is a postcard view in every direction”.  We passed tabletop mountains near Pipe Spring, layered in colors of red and tan rock. Passing through the Paiute Indian Reservation, the Vermillion Cliffs defy description. What a scenic highway to the Kaibab National Forest! We stopped at the LaFevre Outlook, where a fire in June of this year scorched acres of beautiful forest. It did not diminish the view of the multi-layered rock of the Grand Staircase. Hundreds of miles of geological awe off Hwy. 89. Copses of golden yellow aspen dotted the charred landscape.

One of the favorite stops on our Grand Canyon day of scenery and hiking included the Walhalla Outlook, where we viewed the Pueblo site across the road. Over 100 farming sites were situated on this plateau, over 900 years ago. About 20 people were housed on the site we visited, with very small rooms.

We hiked many different trails to scenic outlooks and were treated to indescribable views. Vast panoramic vistas, indigo blue skies. perfect hiking weather, great roads for all our scenery, and groomed trails made this day exceptional. It was great sharing with Brooke and Gage, who were just as awed as we were.  It wasn’t over at the end of the day either, as we drove the most beautiful highway I have ever traveled. Highway 89 at dusk, past the Vermillion Cliffs on the opposite side, past Soap Creek that can only be described as a lunar terrain, with huge boulders that were almost cartoonish in their aspect!

We ended our night, after the red rock views at sunset, at the Moenkopi Legacy Inn in Tuba City, Arizona. It has an interesting and questionable history to the name, but the hotel is located on the western gateway to the Hopi tribal lands. No liquor is allowed in the rooms, no restaurants are open, but it is amazingly clean and comfortable. They had an outbreak of COVID among the Navajo nation in August and have taken huge precautions to prevent any further outbreaks.

I don’t know which was worse– our hotel room in Bryce Canyon or the debate. There were two floors to the Best Western cabins, and none of us slept due to someone having too much fun with their partner above one room and a herd of buffalo above us. Tonight, we are settled into a wonderful hotel, resting after our weary selves, researching our next stops, and doing the never-ending laundry.

Our travels took us on the Red Canyon Highway, which is part of the Dixie Forest and a hiker’s paradise. First, we stopped to see a large herd of buffalo behind fencing and were able to see them up close, which was exciting. We passed through tunnels, and sweet-scented cedar/sagebrush groves, where we hiked a short distance through the red dirt. It was another blue sky day with no humidity and warm temps, so we pulled over for a tailgate lunch before entering Zion National Park.

I have run out of superlatives. All our friends who have been out this way told us Zion would blow us away and it did! The tan, red, and pink sandstone hills and mountains, with their scooped-out basins, deep canyon walls, and jutting rock cliffs were spectacular. We entered on the east side and passed through the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel, which had carved windows to view outside the tunnel as we passed. At the end of the tunnel was the Checkerboard Mesa, with striations in the rock-forming a grid resembling a checkerboard.

We are settled into a beautiful hotel in St. George, Utah, with the Grand Canyon awaiting our oohs and aahs tomorrow. We all agreed, this was the best sequence to view these parks. First, Bryce, then Zion and las,t the Grand Canyon, for despite their grandeur, it seems to get better with each park!