Lying 30 miles outside of Moab, is Dead Horse Point State Park. Driving to the park we wondered if the detour would be worth the effort but when we arrived at the visitor centre and started our explorations we realised how much of a travesty it would have been to miss this. The combination of complete silence paired with a landscape straight out of a science fiction film took our breath away. As far as the eye could see the land was ruptured with gorges, plateaus, canyon walls, lakes – all set against the impressive backdrop of snow capped mountains which seemed to hang in the sky. And snaking through this wound the colorado river. Possibly the most impressive view I have ever clapped eyes on – it was difficult to take in the vastness of the terrain. Dragging ourselves away, we started our  drive on to Monument Valley to the View Hotel where we would be staying two nights. Little did we know what kind of drive this would be…snaking down the mountain on a 1:10 gradient rough track I held my breath and Ian didnt seem in the mood for chatting. We did however stop and take a photo of the road before getting back in the car and praying that no-one came up the other way! In fact the ride was so hairy I was forced to speed eat the rest of our packet of Reeses Peanut Butter Cakes ‘Miniatures.’ ( I’m working my way through the entire Reeses range so it was good to finish another product and get ready to move onto the Reeses Nutrageous Bar ).

Arriving at our hotel in Monument Valley, we checked in and walked into our room to be met with an unbelievable sight. Positioned inside the park, and facing the infamous rock formations, we walked out of our patio doors onto the bacony and didn’t speak for a while! One of the seven natural wonders of the world and we were practically touching them! A picture of the view from our balcony is included below. We couldn’t help thinking however that this hotel should never have been built inside the park and that the wildness of the landscape should be left to nature. Then we had a beer and watched the sun set over the famous rock buttes from outside on our balcony and thought what a jolly good idea it was that the Navajo Indians thought to build it.

Arches National Park in Moab was unlike any other place we have visited. A vast expanse of plateau, valleys, gorges and red rock. Oh and of course the amazing red rock arches which punctuate the landscape. And our first lesson of the day ? The Americans do National Parks really well. The Visitor Centre was brilliant and after telling the Ranger how much time we had and what sort of a day we wanted, she was able to advise on walking routes and best scenic vantage points. Immediately I realised just how huge the National Park was – as far as the eye could see, a maze of amazing rock formations towering up against the sky, rock stratas like giant slabs of gateaux and expanses of  slippery smooth stone polished by the elements. We decided to walk up to Delicate Arch, the most famous of all the arches and the one which is depited on Utah vehicle  number plates. On arrival you realise how much the weather and time has eroded this landscape. The arch is set in a giant stone basin and reaches high up into the sky. We shimmied around the edge of the enormous stone crater to stand under the arch. For Ian a hop, skip and a jump – for me a sweaty palm experience but well worth it. You just don’t look down!

Rather than stay in Moab we took two nights at the beautiful Castle Valley Inn in the heart of the canyonland. A lovely little wooden bungalow where could enjoy stunning views of the ruddy-coloured canyon walls. Waking up early the next morning I took a stroll outside to come face to face with a small gathering of deer – two males ( the ones with wiggly horns ) and what looked like a couple of adult females with a small bambi. And it wouldnt be Tales of a Shirley Scribe if I didnt mention food. We had the most wonderful home-cooked breakfasts – baked cheese and chilli omelettes, pancakes with warm maple syrup, apples and cinnamon, home-made peach cake, bacon, sausages, fruit…..dreamy!!!

Thanksgiving Day or Ski Thursday in Vail. Yes dear readers, to mark Thanksgiving Day Ian took to the slopes for a one-day ski lesson. We arrived at the bottom of the slopes by the gondola early. Ian certainly looked the part garbed up in his gear. There was a clear place for beginners to wait for their instructors to join them – a bench with a large sign marked ‘First Time Skiers and Beginners.’ Ian refused to sit under this sign and wait for the rest of his group to arrive, preferring to watch from a respectful distance. Gradually we watched the aforementioned bench fill up with first time skiers, all anxious to take to the snow for the first time. And all under seven years old. Would Ian be joining this group of sub-four foot children for his lesson? I could feel his tension rising. I could feel myself chuckling. Ian is 5 foot 10 inches – these kids could have walked between his legs. I suggested he go and meet his new friends for the day – there was a lovely little girl of about four years in a pink furry outfit with a special badge on her coat with a chipmonk’s face on it. I can’t repeat his reply on this blog. Luckily for Ian this was not to be his group as a handful of adults eventually turned up. I left him to his new mates and took off around Vail while Ian has his first alpine experience on the snow. Meeting him at lunchtime I sensed all had not gone as planned. He hadn’t been able slalom down a black run as he had hoped or whizz off in a cloud of powder snow like James Bond chasing Dr No. ‘It’s not as easy as it looks,’ he said before I had a chance to ask how his morning had gone. Nevermind – we had Thanksgiving dinner to look forward to that evening – our first ever. We ate at a lovely restaurant called Up The Creek where we were treated to a four course traditional dinner: salad, butternut squash soup, Turkey and maple mashed sweet potato followed by pumpkin pie.

Vail is a kind of Disneyesque resort custom made for skiing – they have designed the buildings to resemble an Austrian resort – pastels and Tyrollean style turrets and balconies. We had a lovely two days stay prior to taking off for the amazing Canyonlands.

The place: Thunder Mountain Lodge – Unit 1307

The time: 8am

The players: Mr and Mrs P

‘Let’s just buy frozen ones Ian, it’ll be easier.’

‘No – I want to make them myself for you for breakfast – how difficult can it be?’

When was the last time he made American pancakes from scratch I wonder. I’ve seen the box with its picture of a motherly type smiling inanely and serving up perfectly formed fluffy pancakes. This is not Ian. And it’s not as easy at it looks. Never mind – Mr P is a determined sort and 8am this morning sees me watching him hunt for a measuring cup and griddle in our condo lodge-style kitchen. We both know it’s not going well. The smell of burning batter fills the room as he stands in his underwear, T-Shirt and fur hat poking at the remains of something NASA brought back from one of it’s space missions.

‘Stop picking at it Ian – it’s like a spot – leave it alone and it will sort itself out.’

Unlikely actually but I like to encourage. There has regrettably been one fateful omission in our bid to make pancakes. No butter or oil was procured to grease the griddle.

However readers all is still well. We are happily ensconced in the wonderful Thunder Mountain Lodge in the delightful Alpine village of Breckenridge in the Rockies. We have a log fire burning, huge comfy sofas and chairs and the delicate aroma of burnt batter pervading the room. Yes – National Lampoons comes to Breckenridge.

‘This one’s going in the bin.’

Oh dear. I’m glad I ate a couple of Reeses Peanut Butter cakes as a precautionary measure…

‘I’m boiling the next one in water.’

What? Boiled pancakes?

‘I cant cook with electric that’s the problem. I’m a gas man.’

No comment but the sound of a spatula scratching at a pan drifts out to where I sit in anticipation.

‘It’s not reacting well to the water.’

I’ll bet it’s not.

So, I sit back – enjoy the lodge experience – look out at the snow covered mountains – toast my feet by the fire and await my boiled pancake. And Ian’s final bleating call from the kitchenette?

‘It doesn’t toss.’

I’m sure it doesn’t Ian.

After a drive of little more than an hour and a half we duly arrived at Breckenridge where we stayed for one night at the Thunder Mountain Lodge. We hired a lovely unit complete with lounge area, kitchen and log fire. Breckenridge is a lovely alpine-style town set into the base of the mountains. A 15 minute gondola ride to the top of the mountain found us admiring the snow capped mountains and drinking hot chocolate as we sat out and watched the skiers and boarders hurtling down the runs. After deciding that sking looked easy and shouldn’t take long to ‘pick up’ ( quote Mr P ) we took the ride back down and walked around the little town. The shop fronts were traditional clapboard style and decorated beautifully for Christmas. And to my delight, a heavy snowfall had left everything covered in several inches of snow. My delight ended however when hitting an icy patch on the side walk I screeched ‘I’m going down’ followed swiftly by ‘I’m down.’ Sprawled on the floor with my legs shot out at an odd angle, arms a-kimber, I looked like a floored deer. Note to self – there is always a reason why every other pedestrian is avoiding a certain spot on the pavement – just do as they do and don’t get cocky. But this was no disaster – I had plenty to look forward to: dinner that evening in the Swiss Haven Restaurant for a fondue followed by a promise by Mr P to cook me pancakes the following morning in our condo…more of this later.

Well, we had a great first day in Denver. Smaller than we anticipated, Denver is very managable as a city. First stop was the State Capitol Dome where we took a good walk around the interior of the building before climbing up to the Dome to take in a great bird’s eye view of  Denver. We asked the obligatory questions before climbing ie is it an open spiral staircase to the top? We both remember the infamous ‘St.Paul’s Cathedral Incident’ and neither of us were anxious to repeat it ( “Ju – you’ve got to keep going up – you’re holding everyone up – just don’t look down. What do you mean you can’t move and your legs are shaking? Keep moving and stop being so embarrassing.” ). Fortunately this Dome was only 9o steps and came with a plethora of health and safety instructions and disclaimers.

Next stop was a walk around the old district – we loved the cafes and eclectic feel to this neighbourhood, enbodied in the wonderful Tattered Cover Book Store. For booklovers this was a veritable treat – wall-to-wall books in a beautiful old gabled building complete with leather sofas, reading chairs and a very pleasant cafe.

Dinner was taken at the Vesta Dipping Grill with Peter and Paula – a fantastic restaurant where the speciality is multiple dipping sauces teamed with various cooked meats and fish. Definitely a winner – we loved it! It was a great evening which we both thoroughly enjoyed – a perfect way to round off our short stay in the Mile High City. Thanks Peter and Paula for a lovely evening!