Big. Mostly dry. Canyons, mesas, buttes, towers, mountains. Altitude. Deserts - harsh and beautiful. Red rocks, white rocks, snow on red rocks. Vertical canyons, rounded canyons with Puebloan ruins.
Old Caddies and Lincolns - still on the road. Giant pickups. Gas - pay by credit card at the pump or pre pay. Roads - mostly wide, some really wide, a few hairy. Thank God for Sheila. 4 way stop signs at intersections - scary.
People - very polite and friendly, don't get Oz sense of humour. Say "thanks" and you get "You're welcome", every time, without fail. Our great mates Pam and Howdy. Howdy - relaxation on skis. Pam - cool, confident, always in control. Love to be as good.
Sagebrush, pinion pines - puebloans used them for everything, joshua trees.
National Parks and Monuments - fabulous. Navajos can't cook.
Small towns are better - great live music, great food and lots of it, and giant pickups. Food - favourites bbq pork ribs, pot roast, giant choc brownie desserts. Taking home the leftovers in doggie box is norm.
Fauna: Eagles, hawks, bluebirds, antelope, elk, bighorn sheep, moose, squirrels.
Nevada - Gambling. Slot machines in supermarkets. Las Vegas - good shows, forget the rest. Well maybe Bellagio was pretty nice.
Arizona - Antelope, Grand, Glen Canyons. Canyons, canyons.
Utah - Mormons (except for Pam and Howdy), no drinkies, clean, big families, Canyonlands, skiing.
Colorado - Cowboy towns, music, mountains.
California - Trendy, organic, wine, green, rain! Napa Valley. Cabernet is king, but overpriced.
Wyoming - Cowboy country, Jackson Hole.
Idaho - Sun Valley skiing and my mate Nat.
Canyons:
Canyonlands - very cold at night. Black Canyon of the Gunnison - deep and black. Ouray - ice climbing. Antelope - photographer's wet dream. Oak Creek - Snowstorm and switchbacks, white knuckles. Grand - 5 hrs down, Phantom ranch, 7 hrs up. Bryce - Icecream on red candy. Zion - precipices, Angels Landing. Red Rock - rock climbers mecca.
And now for some comic relief......
