" it’s like Paris, only created by Mother Nature…”

Ten days ago we returned from a very exciting trip. This was our first Caravan tour (www.caravan.com) and our first time out West! The trip was excellent and Caravan helped us enjoy it to the fullest. We saw a lot for a seven-day vacation. It was well planned and not too fast paced.

We enjoyed a leisurely pace, delicious meals, and, most importantly, outstanding side trips. Not only was there the breathtaking scenery of Grand Canyon, but everyday promised more and better things to see: Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, Lake Powell, Monument Valley.

All three canyons are so different! We started from the grandiosity of Grand Canyon with its colors changing at sundown; then were completely stunned by looking at colorful pinnacles, called hoodoos, which are up to 200 feet (61 m) high in Bryce Canyon. Finally, we enjoyed the tranquility of Zion Canyon with its wild life, many trails, and a wooden cabins with a fireplace, one of which we were staying in overnight.

Where else can you see the vista we enjoyed during our boat cruise through Lake Powell’s Antelope Canyon, lined with rich red sandstone walls, or go on a guided jeep tour of the restricted backcountry of Monument Valley, a beautiful, pristine area of buttes and arches accessible only with authorized Navajo guides?

If you do not want to join an organized tour, you may do it on your own. Just do it at least once because as my husband said: “These places we visited, everyone should take the time to see; it’s like Paris, only created by Mother Nature… ”