BEAUTIFUL STUFF---SCARY STUFF

CAMP ON THE SAN JUAN

We found a really nice BLM campground in Bluff, right on the San Juan River. We have been having great clear weather with cold nights but warm days in the high 70’s. The trees in the campground are all turning gold making this the prettiest place we’ve stayed so far.

As I mentioned in the last entry, we’ve come here to explore some cliff dwellings which after hiking to, you can explore on your own. No rangers or guided tours. Our first exploration took us to a place called Mule Canyon, where after hiking about 1.5 miles we came to our first ruin. With easy access we scrambled up the slickrock to a small cliff dwelling located under the cliff overhang. The popular name for this ruin is, “House on Fire”, and if you look at the photo below you can see why. There were several small individual “rooms” at this site possibly used as granaries.

HOUSE ON FIRE

We next continued up canyon to another small ruin. At this point the ladies decided to head back to the truck because, “once you’ve seen one ruin, you’ve seen them all”. Gary and I continued on finding one more ruin high on the cliff. We could climb to a spot about 15 feet below it, but we couldn’t scale the vertical wall to make entry.

CAN'T QUITE REACH IT

I had read about a ruin called “Moonhouse Ruin” located in the area, so the following day, Gary and I headed out to see if we could find it. I had some detailed directions found on the internet and in a book I purchased but I had some doubts if I could make it. You see, I am very afraid of heights, especially those which involve me walking on narrow ledges over deep canyons. (Well actually anything over about 8 feet) Reaching this ruin involved walking on these kind of ledges in addition to climbing down what in these parts is called a pourover, but is more commonly referred to as a waterfall. The only positive that I could see was that the waterfall was dry. There was a second positive of sorts and that was if I fell, at least Gary could point out the location of the body to the authorities.

So with my fears firmly in check, at least for the drive to the trailhead, we headed out. After a 9 mile sometimes 4 wheel drive road we managed to locate the spot where one must take his life in his hands and climb over the edge of the cliff. So with Gary’s encouragement we started down. This was a pretty deep canyon with Moonhouse on the opposite side. The trail, if you call it that, was marked with cairns (piles of little rocks) and was very steep. The first obstacle was the pourover. Gary went first so that I could see that it was possible and of course if he fell over then I would be the one who pointed out the body. Once Gary made it, then it was my turn. Some kind soles had made a large pile of rocks at the bottom of the fall, thus making the traverse slightly less scary. By sliding down the near vertical rock on my butt, I gingerly lowered myself down until my feet were firmly on the nice, but wobbly pile of rocks. Now that I was down that part, I began to wonder if I could make it back up.

It wasn’t over yet because next we had to walk a narrow ledge for about 75 yards with a sheer drop off of several hundred feet to the canyon bottom. So by clutching my walking stick, like that would keep me from falling, we inched along. After some more down climbing we finally made it to the bottom. Now we had to go up the other side, which was steep and mostly on slickrock, but a piece of cake compared to what we had already been through.

MOONHOUSE ON OPPOSITE SIDE OF CANYON


GARY GOING DOWN THE POUROVER

Once we reached the ruin, I decided the terror I had experienced getting there was possibly worth it, but I wouldn’t make that final judgment until such time as we were back in camp. Moonhouse consists of 49 rooms, some which are behind an outer wall which creates a hallway leading to the entrances of the interior rooms. The condition of much of Moonhouse is excellent considering that it was built so long ago. Scientific studies suggest Moonhouse was built in three stages between 1226 and 1268 AD. Don’t ask me how anyone determined these dates, but needless to say, the place is old. I think perhaps an old Indian told them. There still exist some of the painted decorations on the walls consisting of a wide white stripe with numerous little “moons” painted over it. There were other rooms separate from the main structure many in very good condition.

Since we were high on this cliff ledge, which was pretty wide and not too scary, we walked along it for some distance exploring several other ruins, before heading back.

Because you are reading this blog entry, you can assume that I made it back safely, which I did with only minor scrapes and scratches on my shins and knees received when crawling up the aforementioned pourover. If someday some of you would like to see Moonhouse, give me a call and I’ll put you in touch with Gary.

EXTERIOR WALL

MORE ROOMS

INTERIOR HALL

INTERIOR HALL
(notice white paint on wall behind Gary)

HOLDING ON TO KEEP FROM FALLING

MOAB AND VICINITY

DANA UNDER CORONA ARCH

After a week in Capitol Reef National Park, we headed east to Moab. We keep returning so I guess you could say we like it here. There are lots of places to hike here with Arches and Canyonlands National Parks right next door. Cathie and I hiked up Negro Bill Canyon to Morning Glory Natural Bridge. The trail follows a beautiful clear stream and is a popular hike here. Yesterday we hiked down Courthouse Wash, a 5.5 mile hike from Arches down to the Colorado River. Gary and Diane dropped us off at the start and we hiked down a beautiful canyon filled with Cottonwood Trees and a sometimes stream. Towards the end we came to deep water around some beaver ponds. We had to cross the stream to continue and for a while thought we might have to swim. After looking for a place to cross without getting wet, we finally managed to cross by walking across the beaver dam. Later in the evening we all hiked to Delicate Arch, a trek we make every time we come here.

Gary and I spent one morning and hiked to Corona Arch, a very large and impressive arch in an area outside of the National Park.

AN UPDATE:

After 6 weeks, Gary has started to relax and has been seen omitting extra security devices on his Jeep, even in downtown Moab!

Tomorrow we head south to Bluff, Utah, just north of the Arizona Border. The plan is to spend more time hiking, this time to some cliff dwellings which are plentiful in the area.

CORONA ARCH WITH BOWTIE ARCH ON LEFT

EARLY AMERICAN GRAFFITI

CATHIE IN COURTHOUSE WASH

HAPPY HIKERS

SLOTS, SLOTS, AND MORE SLOTS

No, no, not the Vegas kind but the canyon kind. One of the natural features of the southwest are slot canyons. Here in southwestern Utah, there are numerous. These vary in length, depth, and beauty, but they are all interesting. Some are difficult to gain access to requiring repelling and climbing gear or require hiking several days to get to, while others you just walk into. The latter are the one’s we’ve been exploring. The three most impressive that we have explored are, Headquarters, Surprise, and Little Wild Horse Canyons. Little Wild Horse was by far the most interesting, being deep, narrow and about 3.5 miles long, with the actual slot being about 1.5 miles long.

Here are some of the photo we took of these canyons.

HEADQUARTERS CANYON

GARY, DIANE, AND CATHIE

THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS ARE OF

LITTLE WILD HORSE CANYON

A LITTLE HELP HERE

DANA AND GARY

STOP THIEF!!!!!

Gary, who is traveling with us, owns a 1996 Jeep Cherokee that he tows behind his motor home. Living in Southern California he takes certain precautions to prevent some low life from stealing it. While camping in the Sierras, he continued to take his anti-theft precautions believing that perhaps some of these lowlifes may have followed him north.

He is very concieious about maintaining his anti-theft measures, believing that his ’96 creampuff would be a prize for any would be car thief and would be the envy of his thieving peers.

He has a device which he attaches to his steering wheel with one end and his break pedal with the other. Then he has this bright yellow cover which goes over the steering wheel with a notice on it warning any potential car thieves to stay away. Now in Southern California these measures might be necessary, but I doubt it, because any thief worth his salt wouldn’t be looking the steal a 13 year old Chrysler product.

Here in Utah, Gary remains paranoid. Recently we took a drive on the Burr Trail, a 75 mile dirt road through parts of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and Capitol Reef National Park. We stopped for a short hike up a slot canyon, and true to form Gary secured his Jeep. Here we were 48 miles from the nearest paved road out in the middle of nowhere and Gary is still worrying about that lowlife.

I am attempting to get him to relax and have some faint hope that by the end of our 3 month sourjourn he may loose some of his paranoria, because it is doubtful that he will loose his Jeep.

ALL SECURE

NO LOWLIFE THAT WAY

CRIME INFESTED PARKING LOT

HITCHHIKING GRANDPARENTS! (kids don't try this at home)

SULFUR CREEK

Yesterday, Cathie and I went for a hike down Sulfur Creek in Capitol Reef National Park. To make the hike a one way hike, we left our truck at hikes end and hitched a ride with Gary and Diane to the trailhead. The hike follows Sulfur Creek for 5 miles through a deep red rock canyon and involves crossing the creek numerous times as we head downstream. I was told by a ranger that there was one spot where we would have wade through a deep pool, but otherwise it was to be an easy hike.

So off we went until about halfway down the canyon we came to this deep pool. What the ranger didn’t tell us was that the pool was at the bottom of a 10 foot waterfall, with no way to climb down. You would have to jump or dive down into the deep pool at the bottom of that fall. Not wanting to get “that wet” in freezing water and with the air temperature around 50 degrees we opted to turn around and head back to the trailhead. So 2-1/2 miles down, 2-1/2 back.

Of course, once at the trailhead the truck is parked at the end of the hike so we had another 3 miles of treking down the highway. We tried hitchhiking but I guess we must have looked like dangerous grandparents as no one stopped to pick us up.

UTAH

After Elko, we headed east towards Utah. First an overnight stop in Fillmore, before arriving at Kodachrome Basin State Park. Located a short distance from Bryce Canyon, it’s a great location for exploring Bryce and the surrounding area. We were here last year in a tent, with nighttime temperatures in the mid 20’s. This time it’s been in the 90’s during the day and mid 40’s at night, although the weather report calls for it being cooler with possible snow showers later in the week.

We checked out Bull Valley Gorge, a very deep slot canyon. The road crosses over the gorge on a narrow natural bridge with the gorge dropping off on each side. I you look closely in the photograph you can see what’s left of an early 50’s pickup truck. Three men were killed when in 1954 their truck somehow fell off the road and into the gorge. The truck became forever suspended above the gorge bottom when it became stuck in the narrow crevice. Look for the chrome front bumper with the tire directly below it.

BULL VALLEY GORGE AND TRUCK

We also walked down and back up the picturesque Willis Creek where it is only a few feet wide. There are so many canyons like these in this part of Utah, it’s doubtful that you could see them all. Of course some require mountaineering skills as the only way into them is by repelling.

WILLIS CREEK

We spent part of a day hiking down into Bryce Canyon. The hikes are on maintained trails and are full of tourist. It’s sort of funny to see some of the Chinese and Japanese tourist who arrive by the bus load. The women dressed in their sequined blouses and sandals trek down into the canyon right beside the German tourist who arrived in rented motor homes and are wearing their hiking boots and backpacks. The sights are fantastic though as evidence by the 65 photographs I took.

BRYCE CANYON TRAIL

BRYCE CANYON

ELKO NEVADA

THE RUBY MOUNTIANS

After leaving Carson City, we headed east to Elko, Nevada. The purpose of this stop was to visit with some of Cathie’s cousins. Some really pretty country in the Ruby Mountains south of town. Today Elko survives on the open pit gold mines in the area. Half of the RV’s in our RV park are occupied by miners. They work 21 days straight then get a week off to return home or to spend their money in some of the local casinos or perhaps in other establishments in town.

We are currently in Carson City for resupply after 12 days at Robinson Creek. Near Bridgeport, Robinson Creek is a spot we’ve been coming to for years. In fact both Cathie and I camped there as children and now our children are making the trek with our grandchildren. It’s a great place to relax and do a little fishing. I do mean a little fishing, as in 12 days I only went 3 times and my take was only 5 five fish..

I’ve been taking some hikes in the surrounding mountains with a hike to several high mountain lakes. We took one day and drove to Yosemite and rode our bikes all over the valley floor. It’s one of the best ways to see Yosemite Valley. After a picnic lunch we stopped in at the Ahwahnee Hotel for desert and for $21 we each had a piece of pie. I guess it’s all about location.

The campground is pretty much full with retired folks in their RV’s. Gary and Diane met an acquaintance from Valley Center and we all ended up in their camp for happy hour. As you can see in the photo our bartender is making margaritas and later in the evening they pulled out their propane gas log campfire. Now that’s roughing it.

On our last day in the Eastern Sierras I attempted to climb to the top of Mt. Dana. Located at the top of Tioga Pass and just outside of Yosemite, it is 13061 feet. It is easily assessable, if you consider that the route from the trailhead to summit is only about 2.8 miles and that it rises over 3100 vertical feet, the route has an average grade of about 23% as easily assessable. As the trail climbs higher, trees give was to bushes, which give way to rocks. At around 11,400 feet the Dana Plateau is reached and the trail levels out for a while. Then the trail becomes more difficult to follow as the route traverses rocks which get larger as you get higher.

Starting out bright and early at 6:30, I was the first to begin the climb. My plan was to turn back if I hadn’t reached the summit in 4 hours. I told myself that I would be satisfied to reach the plateau and 11,400 feet, but if I felt ok, I would continue on. The trail to the plateau is very steep, but a trail none the less. I made it to the plateau in about 90 minutes and after a short rest I felt really good. So, onward and upward. Crossing the plateau was easy because of its gentle slope. When the slope got steep again the trail began to disappear. I was making pretty good time picking my way over and around the rocks and at 3 hours I was 200 to 300 vertical feet from the summit. I could see the top from where I was standing. It was about this time that I became lightheaded and slightly dizzy. The route was so steep at this point I felt like I could fall off the mountain. I rested for about 10 minutes, but dizziness did not subside. I much as I wanted to go forward, I think I made the prudent choice and started back down. It was disappointing because I was so close.

A few hundred feet lower and the dizziness disappeared, but I made the decision to head back to the trailhead. I spoke to climbers coming up after me and told them of my experience. They all agreed that I made the right choice. The mountain will always be there and I will try again next summer.

HERE'S SOME PHOTOS

LOWER TWIN LAKE

OUR BARTENDER


LOOKING ACROSS THE DANA PLATEAU

THAT'S MONO LAKE DOWN THERE

THE SUMMIT, SOO CLOSE

WE'RE OFF!!!

Here we go again. This time it’s the Eastern Sierras, Nevada (Reno area), then east to Utah for more exploration of the southern half of the state. We really like the red rock county, so we’ll be returning to some of the same areas we’ve been before, visiting Bryce, Capitol Reef, Moab, and parts in between, We might head into Southern Colorado before heading south though New Mexico and lastly into Southern Arizona. Of course as is our custom, things could change at the drop of a hat, or upon hearing about some new and interesting spot.

With last years road trip interrupted for a family emergency, we’ll check out some of the spots we missed. No tent this time, it’s the comfort of the 5th wheel. For a new twist, friends Gary and Diane will be traveling with us for as long as they care to, which could be one week or until the very end sometime in November.

I’ll post to the blog when we have the Internet and I feel inspired to write.

IT'S "NICE AFT"

Let's see, you put this thingey here and the whatsamacallit goes over there.

FIRST MATE KYLE AT THE HELM

PART OF THE CREW, KYLE AND ANDEN

The votes are in. The boat’s new name will be Nice Aft. Only a couple of folks opted for Recalcitrant but as one friend said, “After a couple of cocktails, you wouldn’t be able to pronounce it anyway.” The name hasn’t yet been painted on, but soon.

We’ve been sailing in San Diego Bay most every week and this past week we trailered the boat up to Lake Skinner near Temecula. We camped there along with daughter Julie and her family. Add a couple of additional grandkids and we had a crew. Although it was hot, around 100 degrees, sailing on the lake had a cooling effect. In the afternoon, a good stiff breeze came up making for some fun sailing and some excitement for the grandkids when the boat heeled over. The lake is not huge by any stretch of the imagination, but with the hot weather there were few boats out. Anyway a fun time was had by all.

Pretty much sticking close to home for the next couple of months, then an RV trip in the fall.

A MOMENT OF SILENCE? YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING

A friend just e-mailed me and said that the House of Representatives had a moment of silence for him. They should have used that moment to actually get something done. Wait a minute, get something done? That will never happen in Congress. As my friend said, they should have a moment of silence for our dead servicemen and women, but no, lets honor a pervert instead.

MICHAEL IS DEAD

Michael died yesterday, if you haven’t heard. That’s just about all that’s been on the news shows since last night. I usually turn on the news to hear some news of the world and although Michael’s death does deserve some recognition, 24 hour coverage is a bit much. Did you know that Farrah Fawcett also died yesterday? Her role in “The Burning Bed’ did more for mankind and the victims of domestic violence than anything Michael ever did. Too bad she doesn’t get the coverage that he gets.

So here’s a guy that was a child molester, yes I said it, and everybody thinks he was the greatest guy around. I heard one newscaster this morning interviewing another newscaster, that’s what they do you know interview each other, who was talking about Michael’s children and how great a father he was and how he did everything for his kids. She commented that they were lucky because Michael was so “childlike”. Get a grip! Yes he’s childlike because it helps him to molest kids. Oh, and he was such a nice guy to build that fairyland on his ranch. Why do you think he built it? The only thing he raised on that ranch were victims. I turned to FOX news thinking perhaps I would hear some news, but no, they were on live from the Coroner’s Office, give me a break. The body still warm, what in the hell is the Coroner going to be able to tell at this stage in the investigation. Then there was Al Sharpton telling us what a loss Michael’s death was to the world. Well, if Mr. Sharpton says it, it must be so.

Now, I know he was found not guilty of molesting anyone, but not guilty is not the same as innocent. I wonder if more victims will come forward now that he’s dead. Speaking of dead, I’ve been wondering what killed him. I’ll take a stab here, but I bet it was drugs of some kind. And you know what, all those talking heads on TV will find some way to blame someone besides Michael. It’s too bad that the media can't pay this much attention to our servicemen and women who die everyday protecting us.

I for one am glad he’s dead. No new victims. How many children will now be spared, we will never really know, but I feel confident in my belief that the world is a better place without him.

A NEW AND DIFFERENT ADVENTURE BEGINS

Break Out Another Thousand

Well we went and did it. We bought a sailboat. We’ve been looking for sometime and saw a lot of junk out there. Some I would be afraid to sail in, others would require more money to get it ship shape. After looking at ads on Craigslist, the Boat Trader and many other on-line sources, we found one on a web site called Sailing Texas,of all things. It was in Phoenix and had been sailing for the most part in fresh water on Lake Pleasant.

The description looked good as did the photos. I spoke with the owner, who works at a community college teaching Aircraft Maintenance, which is a good thing, and he sent me some more photos. We continued to look locally, but just could find what we wanted. We had decided on a Catalina 22, after ruling out other makes, because it was big enough to sleep on for a couple of nights and small enough to trailer, thus eliminating slip fees and extra maintenance. With a small galley, dinette and sleeping for 2, Catalina Yachts says it sleeps 4 but they better be friendly, it has all the comforts of a small sailboat.

After finding nothing locally, we headed out to Phoenix last Friday and met with the boat owner at Lake Pleasant. After looking it over and noting that the upholstery, which was original, looked brand new, we could tell this boat had been taken care of. We did note a couple of deficiencies and took those into account and made an offer which was accepted. We put it in the lake to confirm that everything worked and finalized the deal. The next morning we again met with the owner, handed over the cash and by 11:00 am we were headed home.

It’s not new by any stretch of the imagination, being a 1987 model, but it’s in excellent shape as is the trailer for pulling it to the bay. We’ve practiced setting it up and rigging it in the yard, and son Randy and I took it out in the bay making sure it didn’t sink. It took us 1 hour and 15 minutes to set it up and launch it, but with practice we should be able to get that time down to 1 hour.

VOTE FOR A NAME

We are torn between two names for out boat. We’ve narrowed it down to these selections:

NICE AFT

RECALCITRANT

What do you think? Respond via e-mail or by leaving a message on the web site. I let you know the final tally.

IT'S ACTUALLY FLOATING

COCTAILS AT SUNSET

(it's actually water being 100 degrees out)
THE BOAT MEANS SACRFICES, SO WE HAD TO DOWNGRADE
IN THE RV DEPARTMENT


THE NEW FORD DIESEL HYBRED WITH IMPROVED
MILAGE WITH THE SAILS RAISED.

WHAT HAVE WE BEEN DOING?

Well, we haven't been sitting aground gathering dust. After the Mojave Road trip, we stayed home about a week and started getting restless again. We headed out to the Anza Borrego Desert and spent a week at the Agua Calente campground. On the weekend some of the kids and neighbors showed up. Randy's boys, Ryan and Nathan along with Grandpa, took several hikes exploring the desert. The main focus was to see how many bugs and lizards we could find. One day Cathie and I took off hiking and came across this abandoned windmill, now being used as a perch and nest for a couple of Ravens.

Saw lots of flowers on the hikes we took. I was figuring that by April, we wouldn't see many but that wasn't the case.

FLOWER COLLAGE

Also took several bike rides. One day Cathie took me and my bike north of camp dropping me off about 20 miles away. The idea was to ride south back to camp. Why south you ask? Well south is always down so I figured it would be an easier ride. It turns out it wasn't exactly down hill all the way, but with a 30 MPH wind at my back, I rarely had to pedal. I usually experience the opposite and have to pedal into the wind.

After a week at the desert, it was time for a change of scenery so why not head for the coast.

JALAMA BEACH CAMPGROUND

We discovered, well actually it's been there a long time but it's new to us, Jalama Beach in Santa Barbara County. Located about 15 miles from Highway 1 just south of Lompoc, it is on a stretch of undeveloped California Coast. The campground is run by the county parks department and is a 1st come 1st served and by arriving on a Sunday afternoon, we had lots of campsites to pick from. Beside not being able to see any development north or south, there is no cell phone reception, which is a good thing. So for a week we relaxed, read books, took long walks on the beach and counted the cars on the trains that rolled by. It doesn't get any better than that.

SUNSET AT JALAMA BEACH

As for me I'm still sailing. I finished 4 semesters at the local college, the last class in keel boats. I've also been getting to crew on my instructors boat when he races in the Beer Can Race each Wednesday evening at The Coronado Yacht Club. The photo below is the start of a recent race. It gets pretty crowded at the starting line, with near collisions and close calls the norm. On occasion two boats get too close and actually run into each. As you can see from where the photo was taken, our skipper, Dave, elects to hold back to reduce the cost of boat maintenance.

CROSSING THE STARTING LINE

WHY CATHIE DOESN'T POST ANYTHING TO THE BLOG.