USA: Through the Western States   MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS - SUMMER 1984 (with my parents on our way back to Europe) City Hopping and two Rental Car Tours: L.A. Las Vegas Grand Canyon N.P. (South Rim) Las Vegas (no big theme hotels at that time!) Salt Lake City Grand Teton N.P. Yellowstone N.P. Salt Lake City Miami New York USA WEST   24.5. - 21.6.1997 L.A. - Joshua Tree N.P. - Organ Pipe N.M. - Saguaro N.P. - Arizona Sonora Desert Museum - Biosphere 2 - Petrified Forest N.P. - Meteor Crater - Grand Canyon N.P. (South Rim) - Sedona - Monument Valley - Goosenecks - Valley of the Gods - 4 Corners Monument - Mesa Verde N.P. - Canyonlands N.P. (Needles District & Island of the Sky) - Arches N.P. (Windows Section, Delicate Arch, Devils Garden loop) - Colorado River Scenic Byway 128 - Dinosaur N.M. - Flaming Gorge - Grand Teton N.P. - Yellowstone N.P. - Salt Lake City - Goblin Valley S.P. - Capitol Reef N.P. - Bryce Canyon N.P. - Cottonwood Canyon Road - Old Paria Movie Set - Upper Antelope Canyon (at that time $10 p.P.) - Marble Canyon - Coral Pink Sand Dunes - Zion N.P. - Valley of Fire S.P. - Las Vegas (room at the Treasure Island Hotel) - Valley of Fire S.P. (once again, lovely!) - Death Valley N.P. (40°C outside and although heating(!) on our cooling water started to boil several times ...) - Lone Pine - Mono Lake South Tufa - Bodie (there is no better ghost town!) - Yosemite N.P. (Tioga Pass, Mariposa Grove) - Route 49 - San Francisco - 17 mile drive - Big Sur - Madonna Inn (just crazy...) - Solvang - L.A.   USA SOUTHWEST   12.3.-10.4.1999 Las Vegas (Luxor) - Red Rock Canyon N.R.A. - Northshore Rd - Valley of Fire S.P. - Mojave National Preserve (Cima Rd, Kelbaker Rd., Kelso Sand Dunes) - Calico Ghost Town - Palm Springs - Joshua Tree N.P. (Covington Flats, Indian Cove, Keys Ranch, Cholla Cactus Garden; snow!) - Salton Sea - Anza Borrego S.P. - Imperial Sand Dunes - Old Plank Road (police took us for illegal mexicans...) - Organ Pipe Cactus N.P. (Puerto Blanco Drive, Senita Basin, Ajo Mt Drive) - Casa Grande N.M. - Goldfield Ghost Town - Apache Trail - Old Tucson Studios - Arizona Sonora Desert Museum (great wildlife) - Saguaro N.M. (East & West) - Mission Xavier del Bac - Tombstone - Chiricachua N.M. - City of rocks - White Sands N.M. - Three River Petroglyph Site N.R.A. - Valley of Fires Recreation Area - Carlsbad Caverns N.P. - Guadalope Mts N.P. - Big Bend N.P. (snow!) - Palo Duro Canyon S.P. (cougar track in the sand at dusk...) - Amarillo - Big Texan Steak Ranch (very good!) - Cadillac Ranch - Capulin Mountain N.M. - Great Sand Dunes N.M. - Taos Pueblo - Chimayo - Santa Fe - Bandelier N.M. - Tent Rocks - Petroglyph N.M. - Trinity Test Site (open to the public just twice a year!) - Very Large Array - El Malpais N.M. - Chaco Canyon N.M. - De-Na-Zin Wilderness - Bisti Wilderness (wonderland of hoodoos!) - Petrified Forest N.P. - Meteor Crater - Sunset Crater N.M. - Wupatki N.M. - Grand Canyon N.P. (South Rim) - Oak Creek Canyon - Sedona - Jerome - Havasupai Indian Reservation (Havasupai Falls, Mooney Falls) - Chloride - Hoover Dam - Las Vegas (Treasure Island)   CENTRAL WEST   04.08.-02.09.2000 Salt Lake City - Antelope Island - Copper Mine - Bonneville Salt Flats - Transcontinental Railroad Road - Golden Spike N.H.S. - City of Rocks - Bruneau Dunes - Gooding City of Rocks - Craters of the Moon N.M. - Grand Teton N.P. - Yellowstone N.P. - Bighorn Canyon - Charles Russel N.W.R. - Makoshika S.P. - Theodore Roosevelt N.P. (North Unit & South Unit) - Medicine Rocks S.P. - Devils Tower N.M. - Badlands N.P. - Mt. Rushmoore N.M. - Crazy Horse - Black Hills/Needles - Custer S.P. - Wind Cave N.P. - Toadstool Geologic Park - Hudson-Meng Bison Bonebed - Carhenge (Stonehenge made out of cars, funny!) - Scotts Bluff N.M. - Chimney Rock N.H.S. - Rocky Mountains N.P. - Mt. Evans - McKee Spring Petroglyphs - Dry Fork Canyon Petroglyphs (one of the best we´ve seen!) - Red Fleet (nice dinosaur tracks!) - Flaming Gorge - Salt Lake City COLORADO PLATEAU   04.10-30.10.2004 Las Vegas (Luxor) - Valley of Fire S.P. - Warner Valley Dinosaur Tracks - Johnson Farm St. George - Grand Canyon North Rim (Pt. Sublime) - Marble Canyon - Wahweap Hoodoos - Coyote Buttes North (twice) - Lower Antelope Canyon (twice) - Upper Antelope Canyon - Wahweap Hoodoos - White Rocks - Rimrocks - Old Paria - Cottonwood Canyon Road - Bryce Canyon N.P. - Moqui Marbles - Hole in the Rock Road (Broken Bow Arch, Sunset Arch) - Navajo N.M. - Coral Pink Sand Dunes - Zion N.P. (Subway, Angels Landing etc.) - Valley of Fire S.P. - Las Vegas (Venetian Resort - nice, but was it worth all that money...?) NORTHWEST   29.07.-20.08.2005 Olympic Peninsula (La Tongue, Salt Creek Recreation Area, Cape Flattery, Makah Indian Reservation, La Push, Rialto Beach, First Beach, Second Beach, Third Beach, Ruby Beach, Kalaloch Beach, Hoh Rain Forest, Quinalt Rain Forest) - Mt. Saint Helens (Windy Ridge Road) - Mt. Rainer - Glacier N.P. >> Tour 2005   SOUTHWEST   06.04. - 01.05.2006   (my first tour with Steffen) Las Vegas - Valley of Fire - White Pocket - Coyote Buttes South - Coyote Buttes North (via Notch Trailhead) - Cottonwood Canyon Road (Yellow Rock, Kodachrome Basin S.P., Round Valley Draw) - Skutumpah Road (Deer Range Canyon, Tank Canyon, Lick Wash) - Nipple Ranch Road (Monkey House, Deer Creek Toadstools and Big Horn Panel) - Escalante - Hole in the Rock Road (Devils Garden, Sunset Arch, Moonrise Arch, Hurricane Wash, Jacob Hamblin Arch, Dance Hall Rock) - San Rafael Swell (Upper Chute Canyon, Straight Wash, Reds Canyon Loop) - Hanksville (Factory Butte, Little Egypt, Smith Fork) - Blanding (Grand Gulch, Sheiks Canyon, Collins Springs) - Sedona (Red Rock Crossing, Schnebly Hill Road, West Fork of the Oak Creek, Devils Bridge, Secret Canyon) - Little Finland - Las Vegas   FALL FOLIAGE, PETROGLYPHS AND HOODOOS   22.09. - 15.10.2006 Denver - Black Canyon of the Gunnison N.P. - Rocky Mountains & San Juan Mountains (Maroon Bells, Kebler Pass Road, Dallas Divide, Owl Creek Pass Road, Last Dollar Road, Million Dollar Highway, Yankee Girl Mine, Crystal Mill, Cinnamon Pass, Animas Fork, Guston Mine, Alta Ghost Town) - North Clear Creek Falls - Treasure Falls - Shiprock - Royal Arch - Aztec Arches (Cox Canyon Arch, Petroglyph Arch, Rooftop Arch) - Bisti De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area - Ah-shi-sle-pah Wilderness Study Area - Largo Canyon (very good petroglyphs) - Jemez Mountains (Soda Dam, Teakettle Rock) - Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks N.M. - Bandelier N.P. - Santa Fe - White Sands N.M. (bad weather) - Three Rivers Petroglpyh Site - alternate schedule because of a large bad weather front: Petrified Forest N.P. - White Pocket (A Time for Reflection) - Coyote Butte South - Arches N.P. (Courthouse Wash Pictographs) - Canyonlands N.P. (Island of the Sky, Mesa Arch sunrise, Grandview Point, Green River Overlook etc.) - Colorado River Scenic Byway 128 - Denver SPRING TOUR 2007    16.03.-09.04.2007  ... our honeymoon! :-) L.A. - Newport Beach - Laguna Beach - Anza Borrego State Park - Joshua Tree N.P. (Teddybear Cholla Cactus Garden, Jumbo Rocks, Keys Ranch Guided Walking Tour, Wall Street, Baker Dam) - Grapevine Canyon - Las Vegas - Little Church of the West on 20th March 2007 high noon, thank you Laurent, Heiko and our parents for being there! :-))) - Valley of Fire State Park - Rhyolithe Ghost Town - Death Valley N.P. (Zabriskie Point, Mosaic Canyon, Racetrack Valley, Stovepipe Wells Sand Dunes, Artist Drive, Badwater Salt Flats, Darwin Falls) - Alabama Hills Recreation Area - Flagstaff - Red Mountain Volcano Geologic Area - Grand Falls of the Little Colorado River - Page - Water Holes Canyon - Lower Antelope Canyon - White Pocket - Coyote Buttes South - Coyote Buttes North - Toroweap Point Grand Canyon N.P. - Nampaweap Petroglyph Site - Red Cliffs Recreation Site - Little Finland - Las Vegas   OUR FALL TRIP   19.11.-14.10.2007 Phoenix - Hewitt Arch - Superstition Mountains - Petrified Forest N.P. - 1000 Wells - Stud Horse Point - White Pocket (no pools although heavy rain) - Grand Canyon North Rim (frontier cabin - the lodge had vacancy unexpectedly!) - Point Imperial - Springdale - Zion N.P. - Kanarra Creek - Grafton Ghost Town - Left Fork of the North Creek - Lava Point (nice fall colors!) - Narrows of the Virgin River - Orderville Canyon - Escalante - Devils Garden Outstanding Natural Area - Dry Fork - Peek-a-boo Canyon - Spooky Gulch Slot - Brimstone Canyon - Dance Hall Rock - Moki Hill - Zebra Canyon - Tunnel Slot - Red Breaks - Capitol Reef N.P. - Hanksville - Factory Butte Arch - Goblin Valley S.P. - Cedar Mesa (ruins, ruins, ruins...) - Monument Valley - Teardrop Arch - Moki Dugway - Farmington - Angel Peak Recreation Area - Bisti Badlands - Ah-shi-sle-pah Wilderness Study Area - Petrified Forest N.P. - Flagstaff - Water Holes Canyon - Wupatki N.M. - Apache Trail - Lost Dutchman S.P. - Goldfield Ghost Town - Arizona Mills - Phoenix   WINTER TOUR 2008   26.01.-10.02.2008 Las Vegas - Valley of Fire S.P. - Little Finland - Coyote Buttes North - Page - Coal Mine Canyon - Grand Canyon South Rim - Tucson - Saguaro N.P. (West) - Arizona Desert Museum - White Sands N.P. - Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge - Canyon de Chelly N.M. - Monument Valley Tribal Park - Lower Antelope Canyon - Water Holes Canyon - Grand Canyon South Rim - Seligman - Valley of Fire S.P. - Las Vegas SPRING TOUR 2008   ... coming up! :-)