Moab, Utah

We have been to Moab, Utah many times and I can't think of anywhere else where the word "Adventure" is more prevalent.  We just returned from another trip there and in a few days I took 600 photos!  This area of America's Southwest is truly amazing with all it has to offer.  We camped with our RV at Canyon Lands RV resort in the heart of town and were treated like a million dollars.  Our next door neighbors were Dennis and Carol from Alberta, Canada.  They are spending three months "on the road" seeing the sights of the U.S.A.  They were pulling a new Jeep behind their motor coach and believe me, that's the way to truly explore what this area has to offer.

We visited Dead Horse Point State Park and were greeted at the gift shop by the young lady featured in the video on the web site.  After that stop and many pictures later, we drove a short distance to Canyonlands National Park where again we experienced breathtaking views.

Our most exciting adventure of the week though was our visit to nearby Arches National Park.   We have been there many times before, but this time we decided to hike to the famous "Delicate Arch" which is the symbol of Utah.  We had never accepted this challenge before because of the 3 mile heart pounding trek.  Once there however, every step was worth it.  At my age it was like a younger person climbing Mt. Everest!  This was the view of the last 200 yard hike.  Right around the corner we were greeted to the magnificent view of the Arch!

The next day we decided to hike to the back side of the arch.  It's a distant view and only a mile hike but got some good shots using my 200mm lens.  Along the way we met a young man who was demonstrating his level of testosterone. That wasn't for me, but they were having fun, and that's the name of the game.  If you visit Utah, a trip to Moab is a must!  Click on photos for a larger view.

More pictures from our recent trip can be found in the "National Parks" gallery on my Photo Site.

American Idol

I have always been a music lover and in my early years played the drums.  I was lucky enough to spend 12 years on the radio spinning records, so American Idol has always been a program that I have enjoyed.

This season however, in my opinion, just doesn't have the pizazz as in previous years.  The talent is weak, people are tired of Randy Jackson's jive talk, and Simon's "over the top" criticisms. Kara talks way too much and her flirtations with Simon are sickening.  Four judges are too many as it becomes very boring listening to all their comments after each song.

Simon is leaving the show after this season and the producers better think long and hard on getting the production back on track or the show will certainly lose its ratings.