Today was our last day of exploring in the Bluff area so dad & I took advantage of the day.  We hadn't taken any pictures of Bluff Fort yet so here's what it looks like.  It covers just 1 block, has the new Co-op Mercantile Building, meeting house, RS Building, and several restored pioneer homes.  They have a garden area, statue of John Taylor, covered wagons, etc.  It's all operated by the Hole-in-the Rock Foundation and accepts donations.  This is the first year that service missionaries have been called to help restore & maintain the Fort and there's still plenty of work to do.

Above - North West corner of the Fort  - below - Southwest corner

The LDS Chapel is just diagonal across the road from the North West corner of the Fort..

We found the River Ruins by the San Juan River along with lots of petroglyphs.

Here's a shot of the pioneer trail & Comb Ridge.  Pioneers came down this valley & crossed the ridge at San Juan Hill.

We drove back roads over to Montezuma Creek & found more ruins.  Also, a shot of the San Juan River looking west towards Bluff..

We explored the Cool Spring Ruins where the ancients tried to preserve any water in the area.  This was a part of the Hovenweep National Park area.

Along our travels, we came across some hoodoos that were just as spectacular as Goblin Valley.  The picture just doesn't quite do it justice.

Twin Buttes is a famous landmark here in Bluff so we had to get a picture of them, too.

We went over 100 miles today, mostly on dirt roads and feel that we've explored the Bluff area and accomplished what we set out to do here.

We just returned back to Bluff after visiting Ben & Jill's family in Albuquerque, NM for the past week.  They took really good care of us and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit.   They just started swimming lessons and both Holdyn & Kimber are like little fish.  We got some pictures of them enjoying their little pool in their yard.

We got to see Old Town section of Albuquerque which was settled in 1706 and has old buildings, neat shops, and live music in the street.

This is in front of a really old Catholic Church.

 Holdyn & Kimber are hiding in the flower beds..

Cowboy Cody left this hat on just long enough for a quick snappy.

Phil & I got to have our first experience with Chick-Fillet

"Eat mor chikin"

Thanks Ben & Jill family for a great visit!

Back in Bluff, we enjoyed the sun setting on the surrounding bluffs from our RV park.

Phil & I are visiting Bluff, Utah and checking out the sites.  We were invited to come spend the week with the missionaries to see if we would like to return next summer as missionaries.  So today we spent time visiting pioneer historical sites as well as the local area.  We visited Valley of the Gods, went up Moki Dugway and up some steep, close switchbacks called the 'Twist'.  We put on over 200 miles on the truck and went away as far as Hall's Crossing at Lake Powell.

Yesterday, we hiked up San Juan Hill which was the last hill the pioneers struggled over before reaching Bluff.

You can see the dugway up San Juan Hill  in center of picture.
We found Salvation Knoll and hiked up to the lookout - truck is on the road.

Here's a monument at Clay Hill Pass.  It took the pioneers a week to build a road down the east side of the pass.

We even took advantage of a temple excursion with the missionaries to the Monticello Temple.    We're having fun & seeing lots of new sites.

We enjoyed a visit to Salt Lake visiting family and seeing the sights.  The blossoming trees were in full bloom and all the spring flowers were spectacular, especially the tulip gardens at the Church Office grounds.  I've never seen so many tulips at once, all varieties & colors;  they were gorgeous!

Mindy & Spencer took good care of us and it was especially fun playing with Sophee & Logan.

While we were there, they celebrated my birthday with decorations, presents, cake & ice cream.  And they even remembered to butter my nose!

Thanks for a fun time!

We spent a fantastic week at Lake Powell in April and had a really fun time with 3 other couples.  Lake level was down about 20 feet from a year ago but that just opened up other canyons to explore.

Rainbow Bridge is always a favorite spot to visit.

Some of us hiked up Hole in the Rock.  That's our houseboat hovering in the bay waiting for us hikers.

We enjoyed some beautiful camp spots with great backgrounds and calm waters.  Capt Phil gets to relax after a day traveling up lake.

Here's a shot of Glen Canyon Dam as we cruised on by.  We really enjoyed our week at Lake Powell.  April is an especially good time to visit.