I will be continuing with our National Parks vacation that we took back in 2000. On Friday I posted days 1 & 2. If you missed it, click here & you will get to read about our visit to Walnut Canyon National Monument in Arizona, the Grand Canyon in Arizona & Four Corners (Arizona, Utah, New Mexico & Colorado). As a reminder my family (minus stepson Jesse) went on this vacation with Mike's nieces family (minus her daughter).
Today's post will be days 3 & 4. The National Parks visited on these days will be Mesa Verde in Colorado & Arches National Park in Utah.
Wednesday, August 23, 2000:
Today we are going to visit Mesa Verde. It is located in Colorado. This national park is known for its beauty, scenery, and history. Old native American Indian ruins can be found at this national park. After our visit, we will be heading to Moab, Utah just in time so we can watch the 2 hour Survivor finale on CBS.
Today's map - Cortez, CO to Moab, UT
Today's Photos:
Mike Y, Mikey, Brandan & Mike at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado
Looking down into what is left of an old Indian dwelling at Mesa Verde.
Indian cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde.
You can get up close & personal with these cliff dwellings.
Here we are down inside an Indian dwelling. Back row: Mike, me, Mike Y & Jamee. Front row: Brandan, Mikey & Brandon.
Brandan & Mikey
The area around Mesa Verde had a huge wild fire a few months prior to our visiting. Luckily the Indian ruins were spared.
If you visit Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde you have to climb a ladder up the side of the cliff. Needless to say, I did not go on this part of the tour. Only Mike, Mike Y, Mikey & Brandan went. Too scary for the rest of us.Thursday, August 24, 2000:
This morning we are going to visit Arches National Park. These arches are awesome rock formations which have an arch-like appearance. Southeast Utah is home to many wonderful types of spectacular occurrences of erosion, such as Arches, Canyonlands, and Monument Valley. We may visit Canyonlands, but at the time of making this site, we are undecided. After our morning visits to these parks, we will be heading up to northern Utah. Brandon will be spending the next 2 nights at his dads house. Mike, Kim, and Brandan are going to stay in a motel in Sandy, a wealthy suburb of Salt Lake City.
Today's map - Moab, UT to Salt Lake City, UT
Today's Photos:
Driving into Arches National Park just outside of Moab, Utah.
Southern Utah has the most beautiful red rocks & dirt.
Lots of cool rock formations in Arches National Park.
Mike's Brandan is the dare devil in our family. He likes to scare us.
Brandan sitting under an arch.
My family sitting under an arch at Arches National Park. Brandon, Me, Mike & Brandan.
Delicate arch is the most famous arch at Arches National Park. We didn't get up close & personal with it as it was quite a hike to get to it & the temps were in the 100's when we visited. We aren't hikers (well at least I'm not). 
The boys hanging out under one of the arches.
The whole gang. Brandan, Mike, Me, Brandon, Jamee, Mike Y & Mikey (sitting down)
And one final photo of all of us at Arches National Park.I hope that you enjoyed today's photos. You have to remember while viewing the photos that this was about the time that digital cameras first came out. Mike had one of the first digital cameras. Some of the photos were taken with that & some of the photos were taken with a regular film camera. I wish we would have had camera with a good zoom when we took the photo of Delicate Arch, it was really far away from where we took the photo. I would love to go back to visit these National Parks with a digital SLR camera. Can you imagine the photos then?
If you have never been to any of these National Parks you need to go. They are all just breath taking. This was my 3rd time to Mesa Verde, Brandon's 2nd & everyone else's 1st time. Brandon & I had also been to Arches National Park previously as well. The southwest sure has some beautiful scenery & worth seeing at least one time if not more.
Also we mentioned watching the finale of Survivor. This was the first year that Survivor was on TV. We rushed back to our hotel so we wouldn't miss it. We were so surprised when Richard Hatch won. Remember that? We thought for sure no one would pick him to win. Boy were we wrong. We have watched every season of Survivor since then. It's one of our favorite shows. How about you?
Tomorrow I will share days 5 & 6. Where we visit Salt Lake City, family & Bryce Canyon National Park. Be sure & comment if you have visited any of these places & tell me about your memories.
Kim
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