The Roberts family will be invading the US again next year on the 22nd May!

here is where we are going. Apart from the sights included in the tour, are there any others we should see while we are there? We don't have a lot of free time, but I want to utilise every spare minute. I can't be doing with lying around while on holiday. Thanks!!!

Jenny, I really don't think you are going to have much free time. The distances you will be traveling are going to take up a great deal of time, and you really will be tired. Take chewing gum for Denver and the Rockies; you'll probably need it. You'll also may be very tired if you do a great deal of walking around those two days. The altitude gets to many people.

The site you linked to is correct; you'll see things that you just can't see anywhere else in the world. Parts of the American West seem like they are on another planet.

When you are at Yellowstone, remember that the first Westerners to see that did it from horseback. Imagine how they must have felt. Also keep in mind that you will be standing in the crater of what may be the largest volcano in the world, and it is not dormant. In fact, recent discoveries of a huge bulge in the earth in one part of Yellowstone have volcanologists very "interested." (Also - Don't feed the bears. It's really not a good idea.)

You are going to see more of America in two weeks than most Americans do in their lifetime. Get plenty of rest before you go, and have a great time!

Thanks Dorian, I certainly will. Rest? I cannot rest for one minute. I am totally hyperactive. I have to be on the go all the time!

Red Rocks and Snow at Bryce Canyon

# Bryce typically receives about 7 feet of snow each year
# Explore the winter wonderland in cross-country skis or snowshoes - CNN

Think of the fun you're missing!

Oh Jenny that is going to be an incredible time!

I was looking at your itinerary and thinking "Darn! I want to do that!"

I have friends in Cheyenne....I was born just east of Yellowstone (have Sioux ancestors) ...and have been all through there at one time or another in my life.

You are going on a wonderful trip - you're going to see alot of the plains, but also much of the absolutely beautiful mountain ranges.

Have a great time!

Dorian, that is a truely beautiful photograph. I love to take lots of pics on holiday and turn them into scrapbook pages. I am sure I will get lots of stunning ones this time.

Gizmo, I certainly will have a great time. Over the next few years, I want to see every single sight in America. I have a long list of these type of tours that I will will going on!

If you have any free time at bryce canyon national park....
1-1/2 to 2 hrs free time, the navajo trail there is really amazing. If you have more time 3-5 hours... the fairyland trail gives you a real feel of the different types of landscapes visible at bryce canyon.

Thanks Leppi, the Navaho trail sounds really interesting.

Look at what else you will miss, Jenny:

Colorado avalanche threat strands 2,000

DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- More than 2,000 travelers were stranded at Red Cross shelters in the Colorado high country Monday as a threat of avalanches closed a stretch of Interstate 70 west of Denver.

In addition to the avalanche threat, snow blown by wind gusting to 65 mph reduced visibility to nearly zero.

P.J. Bailey left Breckenridge to head home on I-70 to Denver about 1 p.m. Sunday, but by nearly four hours later she was no farther than Georgetown, about 35 miles from Breckenridge.

"I was told it would get better, but a mile east of Georgetown, there were whiteout conditions. You couldn't even see the front of your car," said Bailey, 24.

She made her way back to Georgetown for the night.

"You should see this town. There's people stopped everywhere," she said.

Red Cross spokeswoman Melinda Epp said the agency opened seven shelters in schools and recreation centers and most of the 2,000-plus travelers who used them during the night were still there Monday morning.

Westbound I-70, the main route between Denver and many of the state's major ski resorts, was closed from 10 miles west of Denver to Vail, a distance of about 75 miles. Eastbound lanes were closed from Vail to Georgetown, about 60 miles. - CNN

I am so glad we are going in May

Dorian, we will be visiting St Louis in 2010 when we do the Route 66 tour!

Then I will walk down to the corner and wave as you drive by. 66 goes through Granite City, and you may pass within 3 short blocks of my house.

I will look forward to it!

Just found this story, didn't think bad weather could ever reach this area. So glad we are going in May.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article729516.ece

I don't think the link went to the right article, something about a "billion volt lightning strike" survivor.

However, bad weather can reach anywhere at any time -and it seems to happen more and more lately.

(By the way, it is my understanding that you are more likely to survive a higher voltage than lower because a higher voltage will blow you away from the source of the electrivity whereas with a lower voltage -or is it watts? amperage? crap!- you can hang on and get fried.)

quote:

I don't think the link went to the right article, something about a "billion volt lightning strike" survivor

That's the right article, I suspect. He got hit my lightning while in Bryce Canyon, Utah. Worse still, he was wearing his England soccer shirt..

I love the comment below the article:
It's about time we had an electrifying performance from somebody in an England shirt.

Lightning can strike anywhere at any time. In the US, the daughter of some elected official was walking out of the water onto the beach on a bright sunny day and was struck and killed by lightning. There were no clouds seen over
the area.

Below are some lightning facts from National Geographic:

Lightning detection systems in the United States monitor an average of 25 million strokes of lightning from clouds to ground during some 100,000 thunderstorms every year. It is estimated that Earth as a whole is struck by an average of more than a hundred lightning bolts every second.

The odds of becoming a lightning victim in the U.S. in any one year is 1 in 700,000. The odds of being struck in your lifetime is 1 in 3,000.

Lightning can kill people (3,696 deaths were recorded in the U.S. between 1959 and 2003) or cause cardiac arrest. Injuries range from severe burns and permanent brain damage to memory loss and personality change. About 10 percent of lightning-stroke victims are killed, and 70 percent suffer serious long-term effects. About 400 people survive lightning strokes in the U.S. each year.

Lightning is not confined to thunderstorms. It's been seen in volcanic eruptions, extremely intense forest fires, surface nuclear detonations, heavy snowstorms, and in large hurricanes.

In addition to the visible flash that travels through the air, the current associated with the lightning discharge travels along the ground. Although some victims are struck directly by the main lightning stroke, many victims are struck as the current moves in and along the ground.

If you can hear thunder, you are within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of a storm—and can be struck by lightning. Seek shelter and avoid situations in which you may be vulnerable.

Not all lightning forms in the negatively charged area low in the thunderstorm cloud. Some lightning originates in the top of the thunderstorm, the area carrying a large positive charge. Lightning from this area is called positive lightning.

Positive lightning is particularly dangerous, because it frequently strikes away from the rain core, either ahead or behind the thunderstorm. It can strike as far as 5 or 10 miles (8 or 16 kilometers) from the storm, in areas that most people do not consider to be a lightning-risk area.

In particular, people should stay away from windows and doors and avoid contact with anything that conducts electricity, including landline telephones. Most people hurt by lightning while inside their homes are talking on the telephone at the time.

People may also want to take certain actions well before the storm to protect property within their homes, such as electronic equipment. Surge protectors do not protect against direct lightning strikes. Unplug equipment such as computers and televisions.

I was in Zion again in October and it's lovely. May is a perfect time for this tour because you'll be there before most school age kids have escaped from their prisons. You'll have a wonderful visit. All the places you are going are fantastic and the only thing you'll regret is that you won't have more time in Zion. Bryce is lovely too but it doesn't have the diversity of formation that Zion has.

There are some fantastic hikes to be done on that trip. Suggest you make it up Angel's Landing at Zion and consider hiking part way into the Zion narrows... a river hike that is stunning. Bryce is lovely too and I imagine there will still be some snow in May... possibly. In Bryce there is a hike that takes you down into the canyon and then up on a switchback trail between to shear cliffs - the amazing bit is that there is a tree growing out of the rock straight up between the cliffs... it's something to see for sure. Be careful in Bryce, have good traction and watch out on the ice... I fell no less than 3 times.



You will be covering a lot of territory! Good luck!

Thanks for the advice Aminator, this is one holiday I am really looking forward to.

Well I am back and we have had the most amazing time. We also came across every possible weather condition known to man. Snowdrifts, blizzards, dust storms, torrential rain and 115 deg temperatures. We did miss out on the tornadoes though, although it was a hit and miss landing at Denver on the way in as we flew straight over the tornado area. Apart from that, we had a fantastic holiday. Thanks to all of you who recommended things to do/see. We couldn't fit them all in but did a few.

Hi Jenny, I noticed you hadn't been here. So glad you had a great trip.

What's the next travel destination for the Roberts family?