I was inspired to visit my old photo album after reviewing Aimee / Greeblemonkey’s recent vacation to the Grand Canyon, among other places.
(Hey, look — we visited the same tower! Of course, her photos are much better than those taken by me, at 11, with a point-and-shoot camera!)
Anyway, in August 1986 I believe we visited the following places (at least, these are the places I have photo evidence and/or vague memories of visiting):
- Sightseeing in Los Angeles
- Mission San Gabriel, San Gabriel, California
- Universal Studios
- San Diego Zoo
- Sequoia National Park
- Calico Ghost Town (Yermo, CA)
- Hoover Dam
- Bryce Canyon
- Grand Canyon
- Canyon De Chelly
- Four Corners
- Dinosaur National Monument
- Mormon Tabernacle
- Jackson Hole, Wyoming
- Yellowstone National Park
If my photos are in order, this would be the route we took:
I don’t have any dates on the photos, but I hope we took at least three weeks to do all that!
Too much for an 11-year-old to process at once?

Photo of Bryce Canyon, also taken by me in 1986. Actually, this one came out pretty good. (The Grand Canyon ones were kind of hazy)