Absence Reflected

Some of you might have been wondering where I had gone for the past week. Well, as Legalbgl noted, I had gone on vacation. Every year Mrs. Lawhawk and I try to get away to see some of our nation's greatest gems, its national parks. This year was no exception, and we visited Utah's Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Zion National Park (Kolob Canyon), Cedar Breaks National Monument, Grand Staircase Escalante NM, and Fishlake and Dixie National Forests. Lots of hiking, tons of photos (which will be posted in upcoming weeks as the photos are developed and scanned), and 1,200 miles of driving. Starting out in Salt Lake City, we headed SSE to Torrey, Utah, which is the gateway to Capitol Reef. From there, we drove on to Bryce Canyon, which is famous for its hoodoos. After a couple of days there, we headed across to Cedar Breaks and then down to Zion Canyon's Kolob Canyon entrance. We drove through some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the country. All the while, we were driving and hiking at altitudes ranging from 6,500 feet up to 10,600 feet.

I'll be getting up to speed on what's going on in the world, and will resume my usual postings directly.