BRYCE CANYON--UTAH

 BRYCE CANYON

UTAH

Map Courtesy National Parks Service

BRYCE CANYON

Bryce Canyon is about 4 hours drive from both Salt Lake City or Las Vegas and 2.5 hours from St George UT. From St George take I 15 north to Cedar City, 14 East to Highway  89, and north to Highway 12., then east to Highway  63 and go south to the entrance. A good place to stay is:-

BEST WESTERN PLUS RUBY'S INN

There is a loop road around the park  (about 20 miles) that provides good viewing . The major sights are, Bryce Amphitheatre, Inspiration Point, Sunset Point, Sunrise Point.The highest elevation is 2,742 M. There are entrance fees to the park.

ST AUGUSTINE FLORIDA-ONE OF THE OLDEST TOWNS IN USA

 ST AUGUSTINE 

FLORIDA

FOUNDED BY THE SPANISH IN 1565

St Augustine was foundered in1565 by Spanish explorers and is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the United States. It was called San Augustin by Pedro Menendez de Aviles as his ships first sighted land on August 28, the feast day of St Augustine. The city served as the capital of Spanish Florida for over 200 years. It was established as the capital of British East Florida when Britain established the colony in 1763 and  twenty years later returned it to Spain. In 1821 Britain handed it back to the USA.

 

                                                       Map Courtesy of Visit St Augustine

The Castillo de San Marco is the oldest stone fort in the US and is located on the western shore of Matanzas Bay on the edge of St Augustine. Construction of the fort began in 1672, 107 years after the city was foundered. When Britain gained control of Florida in 1763, the fort was renamed Fort St Mark and in 1783 when Florida was given back to Spain, it took on its original name. In 1819 Spain passed Florida back the US and it was renamed Fort Marion. In 1924 it was declared a National Monument, later passed to the National Parks Service and its original names was restored in 1942.

 

At 14 St George Street is what is claimed to be the oldest wooden school-house in the USA, Built sometime before 1716 it is wrapped in an old steel chain designed to keep it on the ground in a hurricane.

 

 Walk the streest of this interesting town with its historic buildings and gate

St Augustine is 40 miles south of Jacksonville, 314 miles north of Miami and 180 miles from Tampa. We stayed a little out of the old town because of cost and convenienece at COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT St Augustine  I 95

CAPITOL REEF- SOUTH CENTRAL UTAH

 CAPITOL REEF

UTAH

Capitol Reef is one of the least visited sights in Utah but it is spectacular and worthy of some time.The park surrounds what is a long wrinkle in the earth;s surface  a Water Pocket Fold and has sandstone canyons, great rock formations and sights such as Chimney Rock Pillar, Hickman Bridge Arch  and Capitol Reef.To its north are the monoliths of Cathedral Valley.

Stay in th area at

Capitol Reef Resort

JOHN FORD MOVIES AND MONUMENT VALLEY

JOHN FORD 

MOVIE DIRECTOR

MADE MONUMENT VALLEY FAMOUS FOR ME

 

GETTING THERE

From Phoenix it is 316 miles, from Albuquerque it is 318 miles and from Las Vegas 394 miles. There is an airport at Flagstaff  (170 miles) but it will require a change in Phoenix.

A good place to stay is Gouldings Lodge that dates back to 1921 and the owner way back sent photos to John Ford and he fell in love with the place . We assume that Ford and Wayne and the others stayed there when filming. It is just outside the park in Utah

GOULDINGS LODGE

The Major Films Made By John Ford in Monument Valley

1939

'Stagecoach'

John Wayne & Claire Trevor

1946

"My Darling Clementine"

Henry Fonda & Linda Darnell

1948

"Fort Apache"

John Wayne & Henry Fonda

1949

"She Wore A Yellow Ribbon"

John Wayne & Joanne Dru

1956

"The Searchers"

John Wayne & Natalie Wood

JOHN FORD WAS BORN JOHN MARTIN FEENEY IN 1894 AND MADE 140 FILMS, WAS AWARDED 5 ACADEMY AWARDS. HE DIED IN 1973.THERE IS A POINT IN MONUMENT VALLEY NAMED AFTER JOHN FORD.

Think back to each movie and match to the scenes below.I have visited four times over many years, the first in 1981. I stopped a few miles out having travelld up from Phoenix to take in the vista and stood on a vast rock. Laying ina  gully was a white and blue road sign that simply read

'Watch Out For Indians'

I found the post is was meant to be on and rested it alongside and to this day do not know what it meant; but it was a legitimate road sign.

On the last visit to Monument Valley, we hiked from the entrance about sevenkilometers  and around and through the various Buttes on an established walking trail led by a friendly Navajo local dog.who knew the way and had done it often.