We returned from the Wonders of the West tour near the end of June and we’re still enjoying the “afterglow” of a wonderful vacation. There doesn’t appear to be many accounts of US trips so I thought I would post a short account for others who are considering taking a trip of this kind. We have never traveled to the southwest USA and we were pleased to discover the time we chose to travel was good weather-wise. Much of the trip took us around the Colorado plateau so the elevation was high and the desert climate kept things cool, particularly in the evening. We needed lightweight jackets some days and evenings, but most of the time the weather was quite warm and occasionally hot. Of course, this summer has been cooler than normal.

We were lucky to have an excellent tour guide, Larry Womack, and friendly and capable driver, Steve. Larry’s passion for the area certainly rubbed off on us so much so that as the days passed after our return home we soon discovered we really can’t wait to go back and get on the road again. As he mentioned early in the trip, there is definitely something about this part of the world that gets under your skin. His wonderful bag of resources on anything you might wish to explore further (birds, flowers, geology, archaeology, Indian petroglyphs, etc.) was a great bonus for us all.

The tour took us through an ever changing world of red and multi-hued rock formations, canyons and deserts. The trip is a great way to see the many parks in the area that showcase some very unique landscapes and learn about the west (past and present). Bryce Canyon, where we had a chance to hike down to the bottom of the canyon in the evening with some fellow tour mates, and Canyonlands park were high on our list of favourites, but the incredible ancestral puebloan cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde and petroglyphs at Capital Reef Nat’l Park were also right up there. Our all time favourite though was Monument Valley and the opportunity to see John Ford country, the home of all of those great westerns, and to stay at the historic Gouldings Lodge. The accommodation on the trip ranged from great hotels in very scenic locations (e.g. Red Cliffs Lodge in Moab) to quite rustic spots right in the park (e.g. north rim of Grand Canyon- one spot you should pack a hair dryer!). You couldn’t hope to get closer to the best spots to stay.

As to the pace of the tour, we spent quite a bit of time on the road getting to places, but the journeys were quite fascinating. We did have time to walk around a number of parks, towns and other sites for a couple of hours at a time so we did feel we had time to explore. The optional jet boat tour down the Colorado was definitely worth doing! Evenings were pleasant since the hotels were all in fabulous locations.

All in all, we really enjoyed the trip, the company of the group and the expert leadership through some really remote and beautiful country.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ATW,

ATW, instead of adding a new post to add the photos, you can edit your first post. Look at the symbols on the bottom right corner of your post. In your own posts, you will see 3 symbols. The middle one is the Edit symbol. If you click on that, your post comes up again for you to add or edit. You also don't have to quote your whole post.

ATW, Thanks for sharing your journey with us. Yes I do agree that there are not many tales on USA & Canada. Your efforts are very much appreciated.