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US Roadtrip – Rocky Mountains

Posted on March 26, 2014 by leawalkerblog

A rainbow hovering the mountain top greeted me when I woke up. I was so excited because it will be my first time to visit the Rocky Mountain National Park. I’ve researched about this place for months and somehow, it gave me an idea of what to expect.

But standing infront of the Rocky Mountains gave me goosebumps. What I saw was beyond expectations. And no matter how much I try, words will never be enough to describe the place.

I know one thing though, only God can make something that beautiful. And I am glad that I was blessed enough to have seen the rockies in my lifetime. Thank you Lord.

RANDOM PHOTOS:

Taken at Coyote Mountain Lodge.

The Egg and I restaurant is located in Estes Park. Before going to RMNP, John and I stopped there for breakfast. I welcomed the hot coffee because it was so cold that day. And I remember, their food is good. So if you’re at Estes Park, make sure to stop here. You won’t regret it. 🙂

We were just leaving downtown Estes when we saw this elk. It was right beside the road and I was so amazed to see a big one comfortably checking the buildings. I found that so cool! 🙂

We found this information center near the gate. They’re selling souvenirs there. So if you want something to remind you of the rockies, you can buy them here. The cashier was so helpful. 🙂

MORE WILDLIFE:

As we were entering the park, we saw a herd of elks crossing the street. They look so cute right? I so loved this shot! Seriously, I considered it good luck when I saw them. ha ha… It’s as if they were waiting for me to take picture of them while they pose. lol

And then here comes the wild turkeys… Now you understand, why I loved my experiences at RMNP. I don’t normally see wildlife just roaming around in my country.

We saw more elks as we moved on. The one below was a rutting elk, calling for his mate.

The tourists don’t seem to bother the elks. Come to think of it, they seem to enjoy the presence of people taking photos of them.

Like this one guy here, he was just posing for me. ha ha

John with the elks… 🙂

This coyote was just observing the tourists taking photos of him. I used a long lens camera, of course. We are not allowed to go near the wildlife. Even if we were, I wouldn’t want to intrude on their privacy. he he

THE VIEW:

Alluvial Fan was the result of Lawn Lake breaking in 1982. The 29 million gallons of flood water created the Fan Lake. And this river. That must have been terrible. But when I was there, it looked so beautiful with the Aspen leaves glowing.

October brings cold air at the Rockies, mainly because of fall at the bottom. And the start of winter on top of the mountain. The combination of fog and snow-capped mountains make the panoramic vista seemed out of this world. Most often, John and I would just sit beside the road and enjoy the quietness of the place. Honestly, I have a thousand photos of the park. But I cannot put them all here. 🙂 All of them are my favorites. So it’s kinda difficult to decide which ones do I post.

THE TRAIL TO BEAR LAKE:

At 9,475 ft above sea level sits Bear Lake. The first time we went there, it was very windy and it was snowing. I was very cold but of course, I was still grinning. As if I wasn’t trembling inside and out when John took my picture. ha ha… I remember being so happy because everything around me looked like winter wonderland.

Let me say thank you to the park rangers who are with me in the picture. Despite the cold the wind and the snow brought, they kindly posed with me as a souvenir. 🙂

ONE SUNNY DAY

After 5 days of snow and really cold weather, the sun finally came out. 🙂 It was still cold, but at least it was bearable. We went back to the park and drove around. RMNP looked so different that day. The blue sky proved to be a beautiful backdrop of the rockies. 🙂

I’m glad I was able to take these photos as we were leaving for Colorado Springs the next day.

Isn’t that majestic? Snow-capped mountains covered with fogs and clouds looked amazing, specially with the glowing yellow aspen trees.

You know, this trip made me realize that it’s okay to dream. Back in High School, I had no idea that it will be granted to me. God sees the works we do and I believe that He blesses those who work hard and pray. This trip is one gift that I will forever treasure.

Bear Lake looks different on a sunny day. 🙂

Up next will be my Colorado Springs blog….. And hey, anyone of you here likes the comedian, “Fluffy”? Will share about him next time. So do visit again. 🙂

Lea C. Walker

http://www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in America, My Travels | Tagged aspen trees, colorado, colorado springs, elks, estes park, fluffy, pine trees, rmnp, roadtrip america, rocky mountains, rocky mountains national park, snow at the rockies, us roadtrip, USA | Leave a comment

Do It Now

Posted on March 23, 2014 by leawalkerblog

I was browsing through my SEKI National Parks’ file when this photo got my attention. We were driving towards King’s Canyon then. I found it so beautiful and peaceful that it inspired me to write a very simple poem…

sequioa national park, king's canyon, seki national park, california, america, u.s.a.

This photo was taken at Sequioa National Park, on our way to the King’s Canyon.

If you can, then do it now!
Don’t wait for tomorrow, lest there may be none.
Don’t let fear of the unknown stop you from doing what you want.
And don’t just dream. But live your dream.

We only have one lifetime, so praise God for it.
Give glory to him by being the best that you can.
Be brave, see the world, climb a mountain, walk a trail…
Just do it, do it now.

Lea C. Walker

www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in America, My Travels | Tagged America, american roadtrip, california, Fall, King's Canyon National Park, sequioa national park, us roadtrip | Leave a comment

Photo Of The Day – Sunset in Carmen

Posted on March 11, 2014 by leawalkerblog

I took this photo on our way back to Davao coming from Tagum City to visit my uncle while he was in the ICU.

He died a couple of days later. 😦 So it’s been a kinda sad month for me.

Tomorrow, I will be admitted to the hospital as well for a minor procedure. Please join me in praying that everything will be ok. In Jesus’ name. 🙂

You know, this picture reminded me that God is in control of everything. Sad or not, we just have to look at our surroundings and notice his blessings. The sunset came as a free gift from God, not just for me but for everyone who appreciated it.

Have a beautiful week ahead everyone!

Will continue my US Roadtrip blog when I get out of the hospital.

God bless us all. 🙂

Lea C. Walker

www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in Davao, davao city, Davao Oriental | Tagged carmen, Davao City, Davao del Norte, Sunset | Leave a comment

US Roadtrip – Estes Park

Posted on February 25, 2014 by leawalkerblog

We reached Estes Park around 4 in the afternoon. The sky was overcast. And looked like it was going to rain. But after seeing all the elks beside the road earlier, John and I got so excited that the gloomy weather failed to disappoint us.

I made a booking with Coyote Mountain Lodge online one day ahead of time. I was actually so surprised about the cheap price considering the volume of tourists that visit them during fall. At $70 per night, we thought that the place isn’t nice. But when we finally checked in, we were definitely mistaken. The log cabin looked clean and spacious. The bathroom was small but well, we’re not going to stay there for a long time anyway. 🙂

And the receptionists were so kind and helpful. They gave us maps and told us that we can find more elks at Estes Park Golf Course. Yep, you read that right. At the golf course. ha ha

So after leaving our luggages at the cabin, we went to check out the elks. The place wasn’t far from the hotel. The drive took about 5 minutes only. It wasn’t crowded too. In fact, there were more elks than people at the golf course. 🙂 I must have had this look of amazement on my face because John grinned at me. lol

People are not allowed to go near the wildlife, so we kept our distance. I was just glad that John bought me the Canon SX50 prior to this vacation. It made taking pictures of these animals a lot easier and safer. So as not to distract the elks, we positioned ourselves where they won’t mind us being there. We were having fun watching them and enjoying the quietness and peacefulness of the place when it started raining.

Oh god, that was cold! When you’re on the mountain during fall and it starts to rain with wind, believe me, even your bones would rattle because of the cold. 🙂 That’s why it is very important that you should be ready for any type of weather. The temperature can change drastically from the 80’s to less than 40 at any given day. And don’t forget to layer. Bring extra jacket too. 🙂

With the heater on, the car felt comfortable. So I continued to take photos from a distance. Until the elks started to go back to the woods. What a beautiful way to end our day….

Downtown Estes

The Rocky Mountains, as seen from Estes Park.

The elks at Ester Park Golf Course. :) They look so cute!

The elks at Estes Park Golf Course. 🙂 They look so cute!

The Stanley Hotel. It is believed to be haunted.

Stanley Hotel inspired the famous author, Stephen King, to write “The Shining” . Part of the movie was shot here too. 🙂

I would have tried horse back riding if it wasn’t so cold.. Gee, snow and wind should never go together! ha ha

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…

I took the photo above after I swirled around with wide arms, enjoying the snow. “Keber” if people wondered what happened to this crazy lady. I loved the snow! ha ha

Fall makes an overcast day look brighter. Beautiful right?

It is difficult for me to explain how pretty this sight looked like. For a Filipina who isn’t used to snow, I found this scene so surreal. I feel blessed to have experienced all of these during our road trip. 🙂

Estes Park is at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. It is the gateway to the Rocky Mountains National Park in Colorado, U.S.A.

Up next will be our Rocky Mountains story. 🙂

Lea C. Walker

www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in America, My Travels | Tagged colorado, coyote mountain lodge, elks, estes park, estes park golf course, roadtrip, stanley hotel, USA | Leave a comment

US Roadtrip – Enroute To Colorado

Posted on February 9, 2014 by leawalkerblog

We left Jackson Hole , Wyoming after breakfast. Highway 191 is a relaxing drive with all its scenic view. This road is devoid of any traffic whatsoever! So if you want to just cruise around, you can.

colorado, wyoming, grand teton national park, yellowstone national park

I took this photo right outside Jackson Hole in Wyoming, U.S.A.

If you click on the photo above, you will see a herd of antelopes inside the fence. 🙂

It amazes me how huge America is. With our roadtrip, I’ve seen vast spaces of land. I’ve lived in a city most of my life. And sometimes, the crowd and the noise gets to me. So there is a need for me to go away and find some quiet place where I can relax. I’ve had that and more during this road trip.

By lunchtime, we were already in Pinedale, Wyoming. After buying some gas, we found out that the best food in town is by Windriver Brewing Company and Restaurant. Yep, they brew their own beer. Too bad I don’t drink. 🙂 That would have been nice considering the cold weather.

I couldn’t resist taking picture of the above phrase. Isn’t it funny? I found that inside the restaurant.

True enough, the food was superb! Their Philly Steak and Cheese tasted as good as it looks in the photo above. So if you ever find your way in Pinedale, Wyoming make sure that you visit this brew and restaurant. – http://windriverbrewingco.com

You won’t regret it. 🙂

After such a hefty lunch, we moved on to Rawlins. It started snowing in Pinedale as we left. But the farther we went, the snowflakes got thinner and thinner. Until we couldn’t see its trace anymore…

For the first time in my life, I saw some really beautiful Lamas. 🙂 I asked John to park the car safely so I could take their photos. Awesome right?!

(Click on the photo for a larger image)

As we entered Rawlins, Wyoming through Interstate 80 we found some rain. It looked kinda eerie but pretty from a distance.

A few miles more and we found the country side filled with snow…

And a rainbow… I wonder if there’s really a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Due to its empty space, we could see where it ended…

We spent the night in Laramie, Wyoming. Had dinner at a Chinese restaurant. I don’t remember much the food but the owner was nice. I was happy that I got to eat rice that night too. hehe

The next day, I smiled when I saw the snow on top of our car. It wasn’t much but it was enough to be happy about. 🙂 Even if I was trembling with cold, I loved seeing the snow during this trip. We have none in the Philippines, you see. So I find that awesome! 🙂

Another thing that really made me smile that day were the rabbits playing outside the hotel. It still amazes me how free the animals roam in the US. I think that’s what I loved the most about our vacation. Seeing the wildlife right before us.

After an hour or so of traveling, we reached the boundary of Wyoming and Colorado.

Clear skies, snow-capped rocky mountains from afar coupled with autumn’s full bloom…Believe me when I say this, Colorado’s country side is picture perfect!

This is the view I saw at the boundary of Wyoming and Colorado.

We left I-80 and turned towards Highway 287, on our way to Fort Collins this time. Our next destination – Estes Park and the Rocky Mountains National Park.

Still at Highway 287, we found ourselves in Loveland. We stopped for some photo op, of course. ha ha

Standing at Loveland lake, the Rocky Mountains looked near. In an hour or so, using Highway 34 , we will be there. Or so we thought.

As it turned out, Highway 34 was closed due to the recent floodings. The roads are still under repair because of the landslides caused by the flashflood. 😦

I captured some scenes of the flood’s remains… It looked sad and terrible.

With highway 34’s closure, we had no choice but proceed to Boulder , Colorado. We missed our exit somewhere. They had some repairworks and we just got lost in the maze. ha ha.. But the people there are awesome! So we finally got back on our track. 🙂

I’m just glad that we made it to Boulder this time. We stopped in a mall and got some food before we looked for Nederland , Colorado.

Peak to Peak Scenic Byway starts in Nederland and traverses through Highway 72. The view is fantastic. The road though does not leave much parking space. So it was difficult to get some photos. I just remembered the deep ridge beside the road. And the feeling that we kept going up. I didn’t like that, for the obvious reason that if we had an accident, we will die before reaching the bottom. lol It’s a good thing that praying is free! 🙂

We stopped for a few minutes at Beaver Reservoir. The place was so beautiful.

This father and son tandem was enjoying their time together beside the lake. 🙂

We left Highway 72 right after Camp Dick Campground and turned to Highway 7 on the way up to Estes Park.

A few miles farther, we found ourselves in a traffic jam. Wondering what was going on, we asked the neighboring cars. Turned out , there were several moose beside the road. Everyone stopped and watched! 🙂

I have some photos but they’re all blurry, sorry.

We arrived Estes Park late in the afternoon already.

We were so amazed because we were greeted with a group of elks beside the road!

What a beautiful start to our Rocky Mountain trip…. 🙂

Lea C. Walker

www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in America, My Travels | Tagged America, deer, elks, estes park, grand teton national park, jackson hole, lamas, moose, pinedale, pinedale mountain, rocky mountains, rocky mountains national park, us roadtrip, windriver brewing company and restaurant, Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park | Leave a comment

Night of the Stars – The Santos Land Way

Posted on February 5, 2014 by leawalkerblog

I was invited by Santos Land Development Corporation to a party. Sure, in my line of work, there is always that. Dinner event, parties, etc for producers. This time it is different. The message was , it is a must to wear gown. Err.. I hate wearing dresses, ya know! Let alone gowns.

If you look at my photos in this blog, I mostly wear shorts (when traveling or relaxing) and slacks for work. Maybe a dress on a two year interval. 🙂

At first, I thought of not going. Seriously. I didn’t like the hassle it entailed. And then, I realized that I have agents under me who need to see this type of event so that they will also be motivated to produce more, make a mark for themselves in the real estate industry and hopefully, become successful someday.

So one day before the party date, I searched for a gown. Tsk.. tsk.. I didn’t know it was going to be difficult. Renting was my first option. But dear Lord, the prices are like buying one gown! Unbelievable. And the rentable gowns look like I was going to a wedding or a “Santa Cruzan” parade. ha ha

It’s a good thing I remembered to go to Victoria Plaza, an old mall in Davao City, where I’ve seen nice gowns a long time ago. After several choices, I thought that I found “the one”. he he

So last night was fun! 🙂 For the 3rd time in my life, I wore a gown. First, at my sister’s wedding as I was the maid of honor. Second, was my wedding gown. Then third, was last night. I was the lady in purple.

Thank you John for this picture. Taken at Marco Polo, Davao City on February 4, 2014.

My date. ha ha

With the big bosses. 🙂

Allea angels. Laura and Delaila. 🙂

The Men In Black. lol John with another Allea achiever, Tadeo. 🙂

I would like to thank God for the many blessings. Last night was one of them.

Thank you Santos Land for the good business. And for the way you treat your brokers and agents. It was one of the best parties I’ve been to. I loved the “Mama Mia” presentation of the company’s stockholders! 🙂

Thank you to my Allea family.

To all my clients who have done business with me, thank you.

And to John for being so awesome about my work!

Congratulations to all the achievers. Specially to the top sellers. 🙂 May God continue to bless us all!

Lea C. Walker

www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in Davao, davao city, marco polo, real estate | Tagged cecilia heights, cheap houses for sale in davao city, davao real estate, davaoproperties, ilumina estate, la vista monte, priscilla estate, Real Estate in Davao, subdivisions in davao | Leave a comment

US Roadtrip – Grand Teton National Park

Posted on January 29, 2014 by leawalkerblog

Grand Teton National Park in the North Western part of Wyoming is composed of 130,ooo hectares of land, including the 64km Teton Range, which is said to be the youngest part of the Rocky Mountains.

Our road trip took us there next. 🙂

Travel time from Salt Lake City, Utah was more or less, 7 hours passing through some very beautiful country side and historic places.

You know, I couldn’t say this enough, road tripping in America is one of the best decisions we have ever made. Everything that I’ve seen is like some scene in a chick flick movie. And better. I was lucky and blessed enough to be there with my awesome husband who enjoyed the outdoors as much as I did.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming was our base for this part of the trip. We were supposed to stay at Signal Mountain Lodge inside the park. But well, the shutdown happened. SML apologized for the cancellation and refunded our money back. I was happy about that. But still sad at the same time because that meant we will be missing out on a lot of things. Or experiences. I imagined of having breakfast fronting the Tetons. And sitting beside the lake early in the morning or late in the afternoon and taking photos of the sunrise or sunset. But those were not meant to be…. I prayed and hoped that the government would reopen the parks but never did. We lingered but gave up on our 6th day when we were sure that there’s no chance of it being reopened in the succeeding days.

We arrived in Jackson Hole at dusk. We just had a simple dinner and settled for the night in our hotel room.

The next day, we decided to have a lazy day. Slept most of it. Ordered some pizza and Chinese food, ate in our room and checked the shops around JH in the afternoon. We visited their Chamber of Commerce office and chatted with very nice fellows who invited us to a show one night. I loved the combination of wood and stones in most of the structures in Jackson Hole. Even their McDonald’s is way more “sosyal” than most of their outlets elsewhere! Their Eddie Bauer shop looked like a rustic log cabin. 🙂

We drove to the park on our second day. As we were idling slowly (25 miles per hour is the limit at JH) to the park, cars were lined up beside the road. I found it so cool when we saw the reason why. This bird was posing for everybody!

As we proceeded, I saw the vast field in front of me. And the snow capped mountains beside it. The map referred to it as the deer and elk refuge area. That sounded beautiful right? We have zoos in my country. But never an open field where wild life can take refuge. So seeing that was an amazing experience for me.

As we emerged from a slow climb up a hilly road, the Grand Tetons loomed above everything! Imagine 64 kilometers of several mountain ranges, spread widely beside the road, towering over everything at 13,000 to 14,000 feet above sea level. The phrase “it was a beauty to behold” is exactly that, literally… And more.

To my Davaoeno friends, imagine traveling from Davao City to Tagum, with the Tetons beside the road. Amazing right? 🙂

I got teary eyed as I stood there and took it all in. Recovering from all of the different emotions I experienced, I grinned and started firing my camera. It was a very cold and cloudy day. So I knew that there won’t be much color in my photos. But what the heck, I was taking pictures of the Grand Tetons! Not many people get that kind of opportunity in their lifetime right? 🙂

Thank you John for these photos. 🙂

These are just some of my beautiful memories of the Grand Tetons. Taken by me on October 2013.

We looked for Dornan’s Spur Ranch around lunchtime. The food was ok but the waitresses weren’t that helpful at all. For the price we paid, I think it wasn’t worth it. I ordered for a well done steak, but it was served slightly raw. Don’t like seeing blood in my food, so that turned me off. I asked the waitress politely to have it cooked better. Her reaction wasn’t that nice but well, I couldn’t eat it. Besides I was very clear that I wanted a well done steak right? 😦

The view from the restaurant though was another matter. We walked towards the Snake River and enjoyed the river bank for a few minutes. Would have stayed longer but the wind and the cold it brought were killing us, so to speak. After lunch, we drove deeper into the park and had fun animal spotting.

Wildlife seen today – birds, deer and antelopes. Awesome!!!

The other tourists at the hotel told us that they found elks on top of the Teton Pass. So John and I headed there early in the morning on our third day. It was cold but it wasn’t raining anymore.

It was a different story though at 8,431 feet above sea level. Going up the mountain was foggy. Then it started to drizzle. We couldn’t see much anymore. Which was fine, I guess. :)The ridge below is freakishly deep but once the fog finally disappeared, the view of the pine trees drizzled with snow was breath taking.

Weee… got some snow on my birthday! 🙂

Yep, God granted my prayer of seeing snow for the first time on my 42nd birthday. 🙂 Weeee!!!!! John picked up some and threw a ball at me. ha ha… Despite the cold, we both had fun! 🙂

We didn’t see any elks. But on our way down, we saw a lot of geese and bisons. That was a very beautiful experience. I wish I can explain it with words, but I cannot. I hope my photos would convey the message.

Bisons are huge. They look scary because of their size, but their eyes look gentle. 🙂

We drove towards Teton Village. This is where the ski resorts are. But winter has just started, so there wasn’t enough snow yet for skiing. Still, the place looked so pretty and relaxing. 🙂

Wildlife seen today – bisons , geese and antelopes. 🙂

We ended the day by having my birthday dinner at Bubba’s BBQ Restaurant – http://www.bubbasjh.com/

Only “special people” like us would order ice cream even if we were trembling from the cold weather outside. lol It was perfect with the cake! What can I say?! ha ha

On our 4th day, we just spent the day driving around. We went to Yellowstone National Park. But this is what I got…. We knew it was closed, of course. But still we tried to do a drive by incase the rangers would let the tourists in. I saw some other Asians and Europeans who felt as terrible as we were.

Sucks right?!

It felt like we were shortchanged. But then again, John and I now have an excuse to visit Wyoming and Montana again. lol

I asked John to bring us back to the park on the 5th and last day of our GTNP trip. I was glad that we got some sunshine finally. It’s still very cold, no mistake about that. But the skies looked better in blue, no chilling winds and more importantly, no rains! 🙂

Ahh… I would stay there if I could. 🙂 I love the mountains as much as John does. But well, it was time for us to move on. I am praying that someday, God will take us back there, once again….

For more details of Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park, please visit these websites:

http://www.nps.gov/grte/index.htm

http://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm

Lea C. Walker

www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in America, My Travels | Tagged America, antelopes, bison, deer, dornan's spur ranch, geese, grand teton national park, grand tetons, jackson hole, mcdonald's, Montana, ski resort in jackson hole, snake river, teton pass, teton range, teton village, Wyoming | Leave a comment

Photo of The Day – Clouds

Posted on January 26, 2014 by leawalkerblog

Samal Island I loved the clouds hovering above the sunset. 🙂

Taken on January 26, 2014 in Samal Island, Philippines.

Lea C. Walker

www.davaoproperties.com

Facebook – allearealestate@gmail.com

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

US Roadtrip – Utah

Posted on January 23, 2014 by leawalkerblog

Still following US 89 route, our roadtrip brought us to Spanish Fork , Utah. Its main highway called Interstate 15 or I-15 is so busy we had to make sure we didn’t miss our exit. This is where I first saw “snow capped mountains” from a distance. Coming from a tropical country, such panoramic vista was a beauty to behold. It left me grinning from ear to ear. ha ha

I was glad that I asked for a mountain view room at the Best Western Hotel. It was our first time to stay at BW so John and I both wondered how it is. Turned out to be a nice one. Their king room is spacious. And comes with a bath tub. Perfect after a day’s travel.

This is where I got introduced to Denny’s also, a chain of cheap fastfood, just like McDonald’s. The difference is that they had steak with pilaf rice. 🙂 It became my instant favorite. lol It’s a clean place with good food, plus steak at $10 , that’s cheap! So why not? ha ha… The best thing about it is that it was just a few steps away from the hotel. We were so tired from the trip that we could have eaten anything and go to sleep. So it came as a nice surprise when the food turned out to be better than expected.

The next day, I was glad that I woke up early. Loved the sunrise photo I took of the mountain infront of me. BW serves breakfast until 9 in the morning. It consisted of fresh pancake, bread, sausage and coffee.

After breakfast, we left for Salt Lake City. The trip was just a few minutes from our hotel through I-15. Found an Eddie Bauer shop, so we stop to purchase some clothes. Again. 🙂 You know, one of the best reasons why you should go to the US during fall is the mall discounts. It ranges from 30 to 50% of its original value. Comes out cheaper than shopping in the Philippines! Best buy I made were naturalizer shoes for work. Nike , Adidas and Rebook for my nephews are way cheaper too than buying them in my country. Seemed unbelievable at first. But there it was. 🙂

Other than the shopping spree of course, the fall foliage is something to look forward to. The leaves at its peak, change from green to orange, yellow or red. For nature lovers and photography enthusiasts, believe me it’s a feast for the eyes. The word, gorgeous , is an understatement!

That’s the view from Best Western Hotel. The snow capped mountains looked beautiful as the morning sun touched its tip. 🙂

Autumn brings cooler wind and beautiful colors…. 🙂 US 89 says “40 miles per hour”. That’s to ensure that no deer or other animals die as they cross the street. We didn’t want to rush anyway, because we wanted to enjoy the view as much as we could.

The colorful mountains of Utah.

And the lakes….

Near the boundary of Utah and Idaho, sits Bear Lake. Wikipedia says – Bear Lake is a natural freshwater lake on the Utah–Idaho border in the Western United States. It is the second largest natural freshwater lake in Utah^[1] and has been called the “Caribbean of the Rockies” for its unique turquoise-blue color, which is due to the reflection of “limestone deposits suspended in the lake.”^[2] Its water properties have led to the evolution of several unique species of fauna that occur only within the lake.^[3] Bear Lake is over 250,000 years old.^[4] It was formed by fault subsidence that continues today, slowly deepening the lake along the eastern side.^[5]

The herd of cows…

The Capital City of Utah, Salt Lake…

We spent about 3 days in the State of Utah. But the place and the people I met, left a mark that I will forever remember. . . .

Lea C. Walker

www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in America, My Travels | Tagged american roadtrip, Bear Lake, best western hotel, Eddie Bauer, interstate 15, mormon church, mountains in utah, salt lake, salt lake city, snow-capped mountains, us89 route, utah | Leave a comment

Roadtrip – US 89 Route

Posted on January 19, 2014 by leawalkerblog

John and I agreed that US 89 route is one of the most beautiful scenic by ways in the US. I’ve been amazed since day 1 of this route starting in Ash Fork , Arizona all the way to Sedona, a few days later.

And yet, it still has not prepared me for what’s coming next.

After a short stop in Flagstaff, we proceeded to the Cameron Trading Post where we will be spending the night.

On the way there though we passed by the painted dessert. I’ve seen photos of it online, but nothing beats the feeling of really seeing it in front of you. Words are not enough to describe the place. So I’ll just share with you the photos I took.

Sunset at the Painted Dessert.

I took these photos the next day. Sunrise in the dessert is as equally beautiful as its sunset. As if the dessert’s colors aren’t enough to amaze you, here comes the sun to keep one in a state of awe even more.

Cameron Trading Post

The hotel where we stayed at.

The view from our room. 🙂

The canyon and the Colorado river is right beside our hotel. Despite the cold, I went out to satisfy my photography addiction. ha ha

Found this outside the hotel. I did not know that pine trees bear fruits?

Or maybe that isn’t a pine tree, after all? 🙂

After breakfast, we drove towards Kanab, Utah. And saw all these amazing views….

Chocolate hills beside the road.

Made me feel like I was in another planet! Looked like a scene in a Martian movie. lol

Don’t you find it astounding to see colored cliffs and hills? I found them all stunningly beautiful. 🙂

MARBLE CANYON AND THE NAVAJO BRIDGE

About a hundred or so miles away from Cameron Trading Post, we crossed the Navajo Bridge, which was built it 1927. Beneath it is the Colorado River which traverses through the Marble Canyon all the way to the Grand Canyon.

The Navajo Bridge. Looks new right? Believe me, this was built in 1927!

Marble Canyon and the Colorado River.

Of course, we had to pose. hehe

THE VERMILLION CLIFFS:

Nearby , stands the wall of the Vermillion Cliffs. To borrow the words from Wikipedia – “The Vermilion Cliffs are made up of deposited silt and desert dunes, cemented by infiltrated carbonates and intensely colored by red iron oxide and other minerals, particularly bluish manganese. They are in the physiographic High Plateaus Section and Canyon Lands Section of the Colorado Plateau Province.

Science gives me headache. So I’ll just stick to photography. lol Bottomline – these cliffs are out of this world. Beautiful is an understatement….

And the cliff dwellers…

Other than rattlesnakes sometimes, no one lives here now. This used to be the home of settlers a long time ago.

CONDOR VIEWING:

On top of the Vermillion Cliffs, sat a nice plateau that offers a panoramic vista of red and white mountains from a distance. In 1996, condor viewing was introduced here since the California condors frequent the place. John and I didn’t see them during our visit but the view was more than enough reason to enjoy the place.

Moving on, the landscape has changed once again. From red colored hills to white ones. Splattered with green bushes and colorful trees, they look different but still so pretty.

John and I found ourselves at Kaibab National Forest, right before entering the State of Utah.

You know, I’ve never seen so much empty spaces in my whole life. We’ve been travelling for hours now. And I’ve met less than a thousand people only. No wonder, foreigners found my country so crowded. lol

The peace and quiet is something that I will always love about our road trip. Other than the wonderful views of course. 🙂