tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57193169258264007842024-02-19T04:01:13.826-07:00Just Our NatureMike & Susan's adventures in travel, photography, birdwatching and life.Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-74301599495296747232020-10-31T10:21:00.001-07:002020-12-26T12:34:31.374-07:00Other October 2020 Adventures<b>October 16-18</b><br /><br />Wildfires around Estes Park were still burning, so we spent more time in Summit County this extended fire season. The Cameron Peak Fire to the north was already uncomfortably visible from our backyard. <div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijT2cmK3CjlJ1kSVYkza5milAZCqLtJq9Xmw3w8htli-vTE2QhVde6adJkAUfIvgsuD7w8PKSLDGWTgfsGuRRik7P2d4mfTNLfq69L-YkaP8u19TUHbdiJXAHLGLz-gh6-m9ZnzpceVa5/s2048/_L4C3370-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijT2cmK3CjlJ1kSVYkza5milAZCqLtJq9Xmw3w8htli-vTE2QhVde6adJkAUfIvgsuD7w8PKSLDGWTgfsGuRRik7P2d4mfTNLfq69L-YkaP8u19TUHbdiJXAHLGLz-gh6-m9ZnzpceVa5/w640-h400/_L4C3370-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View to the north from our house on Oct 16, 2020; Cameron Peak Fire</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotE867HIvxACSY_XnEOWNUlNZd6cpe7eSqJlw9U7XIIyQkeHbl2nCQR5wxiZEwG26LBxl4e9p2KoAVD4Ga7YsQarlhGaF9mpPDkOlcG16B9TEAGJ5ruQ1GEaNt53NNSLieG4TQYWBiyUR/s1949/122003751_10222832513976914_7007386585192368383_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1949" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotE867HIvxACSY_XnEOWNUlNZd6cpe7eSqJlw9U7XIIyQkeHbl2nCQR5wxiZEwG26LBxl4e9p2KoAVD4Ga7YsQarlhGaF9mpPDkOlcG16B9TEAGJ5ruQ1GEaNt53NNSLieG4TQYWBiyUR/w640-h370/122003751_10222832513976914_7007386585192368383_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down at Estes Park on October 16th, with fires to the north<br />(photo courtesy of Arthur Messal)</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />The situation would worsen in a few days when Grand County’s East Troublesome fire spotted over the Continental Divide, threatening Estes Park in earnest. The East Troublesome fire became Colorado's 2nd largest fire at over 198,000 acres. It wasn't contained until Nov 30th, killed two people, and destroyed 580 structures. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgk32qMJ44IzOY3_IL6HNMV7pAdg1Li8LG8omr27t0vit07bqdb-BSdhSbFxhh0c34BHl7ZhuRd44TSSeMUkRcUo8-m-C9LUt6V6sx2LCvMtS5_glX3XFXwn9q0Av8lb49cFvRiD6P5YK9/s1944/122510755_110358917526981_7541799777054043215_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1458" data-original-width="1944" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgk32qMJ44IzOY3_IL6HNMV7pAdg1Li8LG8omr27t0vit07bqdb-BSdhSbFxhh0c34BHl7ZhuRd44TSSeMUkRcUo8-m-C9LUt6V6sx2LCvMtS5_glX3XFXwn9q0Av8lb49cFvRiD6P5YK9/w640-h480/122510755_110358917526981_7541799777054043215_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map of East Troublesome Fire, Oct 23, 2020. <br />The red shaded area at upper right was only a few miles from Estes Park.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Estes Valley residents were under a mandatory evacuation for several days, but we left town a week earlier, after doing some fire mitigation work in our yard. This was the first time the entire Estes Valley had ever been totally evacuated.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqUW0tnleEXPb0hyphenhyphenOrSzXrVKN_LUd9W2Gc_LzOQG_9Gap63tDpl7G_QHO5B3I6a38XbPzuEw61spgfUK-gQYsg-Iv-LP5YaB3PwskvLIoAh-bHyp8YtCy6m0YMFMgi4yPQ6DIg9htxptsO/s960/122488320_10224856701070012_7197815743252808404_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqUW0tnleEXPb0hyphenhyphenOrSzXrVKN_LUd9W2Gc_LzOQG_9Gap63tDpl7G_QHO5B3I6a38XbPzuEw61spgfUK-gQYsg-Iv-LP5YaB3PwskvLIoAh-bHyp8YtCy6m0YMFMgi4yPQ6DIg9htxptsO/w640-h480/122488320_10224856701070012_7197815743252808404_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial view of the East Troublesome Fire (photo from reddit\Denver)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Just in case, on October 18th, we drove both our vehicles and brought important documents with us to Dillon. The day we headed south on the Peak to Peak Highway, yet another fire -- the Calwood Fire -- sprung up west of Boulder causing low visibility. Boy, were we glad to find blue skies when we got to Dillon!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>October 20</b><br /><br />Earlier this year we did a lot of new off-roading routes in Summit County, but hadn’t yet been up to Williams Peak Road near Heeney (<a href="https://funtreks.com/off-road-trails/williams-peak-road/" target="_blank">FunTreks Trail #51</a>). The most interesting part of the trip this time was seeing the distant fires burning. At first we believed we were seeing the Williams Fork fire, but later realized that it was actually the explosion of the East Troublesome fire.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRxPakDbaGpxqc1u9NQ_rcIpCUXv6_txzrKfvD1uQ5uOKofxzy-TPvfMhAIjE-MXntI0-YfxJQMv73qstAgM1coIXzXbZWywBD5TE0d8jrwglAuvRLQpx72ZXKhnk8s58acKXKmcxjKvo/s2048/IMG_3530.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRxPakDbaGpxqc1u9NQ_rcIpCUXv6_txzrKfvD1uQ5uOKofxzy-TPvfMhAIjE-MXntI0-YfxJQMv73qstAgM1coIXzXbZWywBD5TE0d8jrwglAuvRLQpx72ZXKhnk8s58acKXKmcxjKvo/w640-h360/IMG_3530.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike opening the gate to the Williams Peak trail, just off Colorado Highway 9</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PvPKUr6tpDFZVI6sKiMcGFU9M2fOyQr-bvkcB3_E5cMMZuAW9QgLJpn_0yGdTIpWrJ8UIwhDAhFhB97uNnsecw3Rf9mqSUGItD_SxZFh2_qhzCF7PijFAjvOOM_H2VD0ddY5AEGluzUd/s2048/IMG_3533.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PvPKUr6tpDFZVI6sKiMcGFU9M2fOyQr-bvkcB3_E5cMMZuAW9QgLJpn_0yGdTIpWrJ8UIwhDAhFhB97uNnsecw3Rf9mqSUGItD_SxZFh2_qhzCF7PijFAjvOOM_H2VD0ddY5AEGluzUd/w640-h360/IMG_3533.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back down the Williams Peak trail</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg885XOsSc9G5LSj4ZA6a0ntO2AUbOXmbb1KJDPzZpkfSo7RSKpahrvhyOYqHuu5kT00qAdaxikHD8CtPopp3rYRMNmikcU3woF_KUiipqyDHN3TZnDdGo_Iv58IzW6XvAKHo6hbRLtzrDZ/s2048/IMG_0008.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg885XOsSc9G5LSj4ZA6a0ntO2AUbOXmbb1KJDPzZpkfSo7RSKpahrvhyOYqHuu5kT00qAdaxikHD8CtPopp3rYRMNmikcU3woF_KUiipqyDHN3TZnDdGo_Iv58IzW6XvAKHo6hbRLtzrDZ/w640-h360/IMG_0008.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down on Green Mountain Reservoir from the Williams Peak trail (FS 200)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXNOd2Q7E2Nt1PBhyqoqEDHSMN0x0tUbwxD8OWT8eO4aGbKBQt59_1mpe3NBI26kg-umMSPCb9RwOvrGdiQqidvesikgSLUMbtdNUJO8rdVQpDxs9RK7MhysaIOK1xcYrQh8WyzmMw989/s2048/_L4C3379-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXNOd2Q7E2Nt1PBhyqoqEDHSMN0x0tUbwxD8OWT8eO4aGbKBQt59_1mpe3NBI26kg-umMSPCb9RwOvrGdiQqidvesikgSLUMbtdNUJO8rdVQpDxs9RK7MhysaIOK1xcYrQh8WyzmMw989/w640-h426/_L4C3379-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East Troublesome Fire, viewed from below Williams Peak</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGjDdReeoslo6RIN6LqZJwXQiC5rRNrTolaveN4XkPVji8qH18M4Rl_1EZuWgmPfo9Oh6a4EzV1Gv6_cCcVvwu8KUzChFBqg62pyZJZsR_Ojx7Tlgq1LQpKDJSlwnFQtmRp3GvEc3190u/s2048/IMG_3539.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGjDdReeoslo6RIN6LqZJwXQiC5rRNrTolaveN4XkPVji8qH18M4Rl_1EZuWgmPfo9Oh6a4EzV1Gv6_cCcVvwu8KUzChFBqg62pyZJZsR_Ojx7Tlgq1LQpKDJSlwnFQtmRp3GvEc3190u/w640-h360/IMG_3539.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>October 21</b><br /><br />The next day we popped over to Loveland Pass and hiked around Loveland Pass Lake. We’ll have to go back in the winter and enjoy the easy access to high alpine terrain on our snowshoes.<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbv4j5f4rF__CLaAts1CC602iXyJrGAnvzHOVypdHfVlKgN0H3i4eDPsHcNY9fWUAR1lwTK8o3B9QsC708t9ypUvepdXA6Y4J1px2W3dj9JGSfGaqry-tQRFLNDLL9rcSjVBBRzGIKIlM/s2048/IMG_0012.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1185" data-original-width="2048" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbv4j5f4rF__CLaAts1CC602iXyJrGAnvzHOVypdHfVlKgN0H3i4eDPsHcNY9fWUAR1lwTK8o3B9QsC708t9ypUvepdXA6Y4J1px2W3dj9JGSfGaqry-tQRFLNDLL9rcSjVBBRzGIKIlM/w640-h370/IMG_0012.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loveland Pass Lakes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7Z3mYnq1tL04Eice05O5ptRm5SwEBFyBOpV7TGm-2m7Ci2Snh7Sq2WEGxA2hAeabMzfEcYzDtdCTJbNsF99g8qG0qBTW0MKq84LHRAyCMdro1FG4cuoNQZZh84KtTt0MMZ0PuLc6Mhjp/s2048/IMG_3552.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="2048" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7Z3mYnq1tL04Eice05O5ptRm5SwEBFyBOpV7TGm-2m7Ci2Snh7Sq2WEGxA2hAeabMzfEcYzDtdCTJbNsF99g8qG0qBTW0MKq84LHRAyCMdro1FG4cuoNQZZh84KtTt0MMZ0PuLc6Mhjp/w640-h282/IMG_3552.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loveland Pass Lakes, looking mostly south; Arapahoe Basin Ski Area at far right</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />The off-roading season would soon be over, so afterward we took advantage of the warmish weather and drove back up to Webster Pass, one of our favorite routes from the previous summer. Several really fun off-road trails start near Montezuma, a small village a little east of Keystone. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxi4lmhiwNhwzVMb_KfErjMWZzC3EHPzBC21ApDCMgwkluLxfJIc2ZnsKeya6n7mty44y9kLIkJPkQZwh9RhXEII1MxwaT8HnxbanQkWWo9UfL4VCK1D1bROLNgsq6VjTX3lsL6Ey1p9Z/s2048/IMG_3562.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxi4lmhiwNhwzVMb_KfErjMWZzC3EHPzBC21ApDCMgwkluLxfJIc2ZnsKeya6n7mty44y9kLIkJPkQZwh9RhXEII1MxwaT8HnxbanQkWWo9UfL4VCK1D1bROLNgsq6VjTX3lsL6Ey1p9Z/w640-h360/IMG_3562.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main "street" in Montezuma, on the way to Webster Pass</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoCt9_5qRLxNvkEuuncqkSrs7EhWPW4UA_noYKMswEKB2URHbbVzx4O-gdfTOn_12qzNdmWfP5guV4JkszbBZEwXMQgapM-lRgXgRpHj777Sp6AX_G0xt8ltSOpJ1toeb5wf_r_QqoDjE3/s2048/IMG_3560.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1321" data-original-width="2048" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoCt9_5qRLxNvkEuuncqkSrs7EhWPW4UA_noYKMswEKB2URHbbVzx4O-gdfTOn_12qzNdmWfP5guV4JkszbBZEwXMQgapM-lRgXgRpHj777Sp6AX_G0xt8ltSOpJ1toeb5wf_r_QqoDjE3/w640-h412/IMG_3560.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Webster Pass of the valley we came up; East Troublesome Fire in the distance</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br /></div>Webster Pass is right on the Continental Divide. We hiked up from the car a little ways up along the Divide. Rather than drive over the Pass and down Handcart Gulch, we went back to Montezuma the way we came up. </div><div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOD1Gs7C2sAZmVQ5v0739Acu4Mpp5pWt8S5FnPy5OAiShItABCqQaio2w3oGuYiw8qnCo037Al4_WbfUpvfrQ15p2ka5hkgtW37CJ59zK6sMNFKe9jFzOb1xyM8brruUe6HPEIlPEkUFqe/s2048/IMG_0022.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOD1Gs7C2sAZmVQ5v0739Acu4Mpp5pWt8S5FnPy5OAiShItABCqQaio2w3oGuYiw8qnCo037Al4_WbfUpvfrQ15p2ka5hkgtW37CJ59zK6sMNFKe9jFzOb1xyM8brruUe6HPEIlPEkUFqe/w640-h480/IMG_0022.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Webster Pass, looking at trail coming down from Red Cone</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOV4RJ9uPwTEzgc0FiRa20jXLYlywRWGRTGfNK68whyphenhyphenvG9GK9wZB2GUkV7yL1pBL3OiJ7LnS-d-I4Mcr6I-IW3CWzzKYw_L1IHPSi5oDzThZOcCrPhriXis-tBLGpBA1K1M7Ztv0Wo1z_U/s2048/IMG_0015.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1463" data-original-width="2048" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOV4RJ9uPwTEzgc0FiRa20jXLYlywRWGRTGfNK68whyphenhyphenvG9GK9wZB2GUkV7yL1pBL3OiJ7LnS-d-I4Mcr6I-IW3CWzzKYw_L1IHPSi5oDzThZOcCrPhriXis-tBLGpBA1K1M7Ztv0Wo1z_U/w640-h458/IMG_0015.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking southeast from Webster Pass</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br /><b>November 1</b><br /><br />Sure enough, we had snow a few days later, closing the off-road trails for the season. But we squeezed in one more bike ride by driving to Glenwood Springs and biking the <a href="https://www.rfta.com/trail-information/" target="_blank">Rio Grande Trail</a> south to a little past Carbondale. Our ride was a bit over 26 beautiful miles round trip. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qkNXr4PuUVMrlo8SETG_SkJCatjHbPrMaLHt23dp4h2Tmrf3L6yy3F1_NeT9hISq9gB-hbSvIytrV59xJZqbs1XqaTmPLIWmzUvRprAdHT3Fbp7OMj47dADMM-w7I7BShcxn0qLcrghK/s1918/Screen+Shot+2020-12-26+at+12.32.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1460" data-original-width="1918" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qkNXr4PuUVMrlo8SETG_SkJCatjHbPrMaLHt23dp4h2Tmrf3L6yy3F1_NeT9hISq9gB-hbSvIytrV59xJZqbs1XqaTmPLIWmzUvRprAdHT3Fbp7OMj47dADMM-w7I7BShcxn0qLcrghK/w640-h488/Screen+Shot+2020-12-26+at+12.32.52+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheJNYgJtBJB15MSh3c6i6SLIbp4zX4KfIjrf_Zqmd80-iLrM93sXSJGZDPmmOHZXCTqtEFLI9fpYW0oVQ2v8rc1lvbkWdLc6ha0ArF75iAJLEv-wMZJFvyX5QInyJ5PIF3P7SM19caHMx-/s2048/FullSizeRender+%25283%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheJNYgJtBJB15MSh3c6i6SLIbp4zX4KfIjrf_Zqmd80-iLrM93sXSJGZDPmmOHZXCTqtEFLI9fpYW0oVQ2v8rc1lvbkWdLc6ha0ArF75iAJLEv-wMZJFvyX5QInyJ5PIF3P7SM19caHMx-/w640-h480/FullSizeRender+%25283%2529.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike on the Rio Grande bike trail, just south of Glenwood Springs along the Roaring Fork River</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div></div>Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-24945842060515587192020-10-09T18:30:00.244-07:002020-12-20T13:15:44.531-07:00Utah & Grand Canyon North Rim - Part IV (Oct 5 - 9, 2020)<p><a href="http://www.justournature.com/2020/10/southern-utah-grand-canyon-north-rim_4.html">Continued from Part III</a>...</p><p>After a very full week of hiking and driving, we took the entire day off on October 5 to rest and plan for a leisurely and scenic "take the long way" home.</p><div>Tuesday morning we left Kanab early and headed toward Page. We made it to Horseshoe Bend while the morning light was still decent. We had been there while staying in Page a few years before the area was developed and admission was charged, but the facilities were most welcome! </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTEFOe2CsaR9tf1sBqzDGCzJfnhrNZi8wLn1Vj4IDWLF2CZmHzekAXMJ_SuznFuOzGdCdNZlL_NIox-viFSv9GB9Esv0Joy7ctAGpkrx0ZKrcOYQQ9vZnyOL5qwNbQvW7vv-SscUeOGgJZ/s2048/_L4C3040-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTEFOe2CsaR9tf1sBqzDGCzJfnhrNZi8wLn1Vj4IDWLF2CZmHzekAXMJ_SuznFuOzGdCdNZlL_NIox-viFSv9GB9Esv0Joy7ctAGpkrx0ZKrcOYQQ9vZnyOL5qwNbQvW7vv-SscUeOGgJZ/w640-h426/_L4C3040-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horseshoe Bend, near Page, Arizona</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>We stayed in Cortez so that Wednesday morning we could run Ophir Pass again. This is one of our favorite 4WD roads with tons of bang for the buck. We came up through Dolores and Rico on scenic Highway 145 and turned off onto D65 and went through the tiny village of Ophir before switching Moby into 4x4 low range and driving up through the still-colorful aspen. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8f766qMi5okWHr8ZbcG4MASQepDi8Ga4qqpqBjjdWeSxHhN_nZlmAoE_xYXMNtDYIWEdZJPoEzqts4oHmDomal71UUdWArqEBPK77rnlNQJ7phgl0Cku2uEPvrQqvJ_XvCYn-ud51tpZ/s2048/IMG_3343.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8f766qMi5okWHr8ZbcG4MASQepDi8Ga4qqpqBjjdWeSxHhN_nZlmAoE_xYXMNtDYIWEdZJPoEzqts4oHmDomal71UUdWArqEBPK77rnlNQJ7phgl0Cku2uEPvrQqvJ_XvCYn-ud51tpZ/w640-h480/IMG_3343.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5qajRhapYksZPE_3low4W43xNdXhBhLdu_nZroEcK_hgzFuVa04dSubp2e6u17q5dGubzVIkZdmJjuQfsL5zogD9VLajgeWFU055GNv5nd7JVizlzCJXmL0gNUxKbXC-SzD30qWrV-w1/s2048/IMG_3353.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5qajRhapYksZPE_3low4W43xNdXhBhLdu_nZroEcK_hgzFuVa04dSubp2e6u17q5dGubzVIkZdmJjuQfsL5zogD9VLajgeWFU055GNv5nd7JVizlzCJXmL0gNUxKbXC-SzD30qWrV-w1/w640-h480/IMG_3353.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The views open up as we started to get above treeline</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMgPovVVrsnaXjN772JBmDW_UN0Dpmh6IuKR5H7ryXVaT5ZzBPXUILzLYTK9i4MsdqrJ8Tr2H-7Xw4AxEe8HBGLqlfzW6PQleA9H3Yjjm4FwEpXCbgr2x3J76QcBjSRE2s1AMGfkx5mB8/s2048/IMG_3368.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMgPovVVrsnaXjN772JBmDW_UN0Dpmh6IuKR5H7ryXVaT5ZzBPXUILzLYTK9i4MsdqrJ8Tr2H-7Xw4AxEe8HBGLqlfzW6PQleA9H3Yjjm4FwEpXCbgr2x3J76QcBjSRE2s1AMGfkx5mB8/w640-h360/IMG_3368.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back down on the village of Ophir from near the top of Ophir Pass</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2YqnnOHX5OktHLWrQOrKehiT1RhyphenhyphenlB-hvKZ6IPkes54YJfQtx0tAJGzMCz4Avkz2Ga8D5Na67WQauwrWAd3R_W1H5JDHXLQbURJch4a7_K1lGBIlPFn0sCuTDptkAqXp0oW9fz64lwP4/s2048/IMG_3377.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1189" data-original-width="2048" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2YqnnOHX5OktHLWrQOrKehiT1RhyphenhyphenlB-hvKZ6IPkes54YJfQtx0tAJGzMCz4Avkz2Ga8D5Na67WQauwrWAd3R_W1H5JDHXLQbURJch4a7_K1lGBIlPFn0sCuTDptkAqXp0oW9fz64lwP4/w640-h372/IMG_3377.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A jeep heads down the narrow shelf road we just came up</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>We spent a little extra time near the top of the pass visiting with the local Pika.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPRYnyuUopR9R4fi6rwdopldK_wS4CYgFnVi7wsvYF33lc9NZ9iVlCClvEaJGJz5qd9qphdRnSGyEDS9zt1LzJBcvjCAvidaXrkF5OnUVt6iA53a1g1NeJmeSGnYnFs2fcAKO8Gj9BBoz/s1000/_L4C3133-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPRYnyuUopR9R4fi6rwdopldK_wS4CYgFnVi7wsvYF33lc9NZ9iVlCClvEaJGJz5qd9qphdRnSGyEDS9zt1LzJBcvjCAvidaXrkF5OnUVt6iA53a1g1NeJmeSGnYnFs2fcAKO8Gj9BBoz/w640-h426/_L4C3133-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An American Pika (ochotona princeps) busily gathers plants for his haypile</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZ9dGyeagNyPYk1WJVzlZo1rpEfu8UBvoNgliAAX1S5Qrkmg1ciPRLGz_R8NdNmBdO3vSH6bRePSjE3VTL1MsdCRWjfTPn8FkyaeMmgTeTgdHaF3c5cnfx61SvJHKrWwp-Kl8fBGwSMeF/s1220/_L4C3157-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="1220" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZ9dGyeagNyPYk1WJVzlZo1rpEfu8UBvoNgliAAX1S5Qrkmg1ciPRLGz_R8NdNmBdO3vSH6bRePSjE3VTL1MsdCRWjfTPn8FkyaeMmgTeTgdHaF3c5cnfx61SvJHKrWwp-Kl8fBGwSMeF/w640-h426/_L4C3157-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpm80Uh4HYMOmciGeatS842WbpOxqxnz7hJ-lrSml_Fv4RkxxsxR0EOoUlWuIlQvS1UFUfE5fxsnNkH-ooJbuWlyzl7j3HAUbbn-5jAMrAHVKlYll84sGD61IFUQCZTgKVU51MjrcTUk6u/s2048/IMG_9703.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpm80Uh4HYMOmciGeatS842WbpOxqxnz7hJ-lrSml_Fv4RkxxsxR0EOoUlWuIlQvS1UFUfE5fxsnNkH-ooJbuWlyzl7j3HAUbbn-5jAMrAHVKlYll84sGD61IFUQCZTgKVU51MjrcTUk6u/w640-h480/IMG_9703.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our 4Runner "Moby" about to head down the east side of Ophir Pass</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Running Ophir pass from west to east brings us out on Highway 550 aka the Million Dollar Highway, where we turned north towards Ouray. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzHgbT7lA_uUG2i5idkPJAQ7S-Kxsv8wF1SBliifUyD2c16ewjuWROoYDxEpLUpjEPZvXqjPj4SdKRqiC4xHMCMZWirwLDbtE-8I6JnkYxAphk2cy_PEKt4A88kGJhyPbVyKeXNCRvDFf/s2048/_L4C2025-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzHgbT7lA_uUG2i5idkPJAQ7S-Kxsv8wF1SBliifUyD2c16ewjuWROoYDxEpLUpjEPZvXqjPj4SdKRqiC4xHMCMZWirwLDbtE-8I6JnkYxAphk2cy_PEKt4A88kGJhyPbVyKeXNCRvDFf/w640-h426/_L4C2025-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Town of Ouray</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Driving past Ouray where we would spend the night, we went on to explore the area around Owl Creek Pass in the Uncompahgre Mountains. This is a fabulous spot in the fall and we can’t wait to go back and do more. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJg3lj9Y3gRWKvy-U34wdiv1h2GHRlhvnoFdLjJ0x0TbLXkbi41-bXHMlxBmtmUKznzf99QOcVVKNb_LJPmzCnuIi1nFymA6o3846V4O9YaSflT1rjArGJy6vPKaU1N8-Qx6-XgGx8coGR/s2048/_L4C3169-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJg3lj9Y3gRWKvy-U34wdiv1h2GHRlhvnoFdLjJ0x0TbLXkbi41-bXHMlxBmtmUKznzf99QOcVVKNb_LJPmzCnuIi1nFymA6o3846V4O9YaSflT1rjArGJy6vPKaU1N8-Qx6-XgGx8coGR/w640-h360/_L4C3169-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The drive up to Owl Creek Pass is gorgeous, even if the aspen was a little past prime</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6glZyIh6rNZobZeaCHH0QV6VhUj-TvUG8jszcg8Np3Uc6ck2v3A-jV6-iWm3S9zw1RykWr2dZry1lU9rrOn3FVPfqL5a6NARfsu9c6N8T0Y8XkUufjXr5qm2b6IldkoNkhW1DoJvr9C96/s2048/_L4C3170-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6glZyIh6rNZobZeaCHH0QV6VhUj-TvUG8jszcg8Np3Uc6ck2v3A-jV6-iWm3S9zw1RykWr2dZry1lU9rrOn3FVPfqL5a6NARfsu9c6N8T0Y8XkUufjXr5qm2b6IldkoNkhW1DoJvr9C96/w640-h360/_L4C3170-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>We stopped in several places to walk around in the aspen groves, scoping out trails we might want to hike next time. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmlh1RSE8TwtoZrgC3upxB_4LgGeaa357gP28GppflYdS1jvGlfC3pjgpopvWlpx57O_UpD1yAVbSVpdwt7-m5LSak7r5AkhHFzjgFd3t3JxO_Vs17Kv_RAls_cgamcb-Nb5ZPBHghTVe/s2048/_L4C3174-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmlh1RSE8TwtoZrgC3upxB_4LgGeaa357gP28GppflYdS1jvGlfC3pjgpopvWlpx57O_UpD1yAVbSVpdwt7-m5LSak7r5AkhHFzjgFd3t3JxO_Vs17Kv_RAls_cgamcb-Nb5ZPBHghTVe/w640-h426/_L4C3174-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3p_HU_FwfMEmoiX2WUpkdJEnUL4tknzlkw5vxQg9-Y8kQz307yapAOmHJYfGnNcpEPDsKFC96FfISDc2gWdQ5M7ivEABgsNlD0UnzexcuippZJxmZbYXBPo-ti9jQnFxYCt5n6dhmKGxc/s2048/_L4C3187-2k.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3p_HU_FwfMEmoiX2WUpkdJEnUL4tknzlkw5vxQg9-Y8kQz307yapAOmHJYfGnNcpEPDsKFC96FfISDc2gWdQ5M7ivEABgsNlD0UnzexcuippZJxmZbYXBPo-ti9jQnFxYCt5n6dhmKGxc/w640-h360/_L4C3187-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>We took a short 4x4 trail to Rowdy Lake, too. And we found so much to explore on the other side of Owl Creek Pass: Silver Jack Reservoir, East, Middle, and West Forks of the Cimarron River, Courthouse Rock, and much more!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_w6-zirszgWcI51cWjNRsaTpSp-zsrVX5GC_E6p-UpFJJwiw_TpivwF3HFdS85wknrPIvXKta6qhQICB5GSfyBZUxWW2ishzvqJSc-15W9M8lOkMDS41_RIf5jzTffL-gSC1Gd6AkZlR/s2048/_L4C3195-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_w6-zirszgWcI51cWjNRsaTpSp-zsrVX5GC_E6p-UpFJJwiw_TpivwF3HFdS85wknrPIvXKta6qhQICB5GSfyBZUxWW2ishzvqJSc-15W9M8lOkMDS41_RIf5jzTffL-gSC1Gd6AkZlR/w640-h360/_L4C3195-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rowdy Lake</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2NU1Xkxm_6djwUbYu4dUMOJLauX6QxWMIeEV1DHGQIQ7NbybK7_PHAc_0iizEuRPUSFb4PAwbOQderOiChsBLANiSqgtFc4cpcQZz96tU6kIpg4v7FTmIoMJsBW8J1cx6c6smwm6AAT3t/s2048/_L4C3200-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2NU1Xkxm_6djwUbYu4dUMOJLauX6QxWMIeEV1DHGQIQ7NbybK7_PHAc_0iizEuRPUSFb4PAwbOQderOiChsBLANiSqgtFc4cpcQZz96tU6kIpg4v7FTmIoMJsBW8J1cx6c6smwm6AAT3t/w640-h360/_L4C3200-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chimney Rock</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUUCq7CiotFddWy3d7ZCyBW35v2RCWbwXe6-NLy3pgHZcQoirSHkC0O0G0N4zFeedktnd84l5tTeJBiFCx7g-nSOnBEH3xWNyuSDUFZObMiHdgslJzS931Irw4h5uenKFn-bWZSmF-e0i/s2048/_L4C3228-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2048" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUUCq7CiotFddWy3d7ZCyBW35v2RCWbwXe6-NLy3pgHZcQoirSHkC0O0G0N4zFeedktnd84l5tTeJBiFCx7g-nSOnBEH3xWNyuSDUFZObMiHdgslJzS931Irw4h5uenKFn-bWZSmF-e0i/w640-h500/_L4C3228-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>After Owl Creek Pass, we checked into our hotel in Ouray, and ate our "dinner" out of the ice chest, and turned in early. </div><div><br /></div><div>On Thursday morning, even though we were an easy day’s drive back to Dillon, we decided to take another day to explore Curecanti National Recreation Area and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, so we planned to stay overnight in Gunnison. </div><div><br /></div><div>We walked down to the Morrow Point Dam, then hiked the canyon west along a sweet path loaded with colorful Gambel Oak. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmylcQz_8QHJ6AP8NA8zRSrmgx7Yy236NVUQ-ZQrvCVDVk8r1Grf-QtDU4AUcU1TLy0D5jyxzAsmchYMkc4hgUsLRTUENQr8ssugj-8GgXthPN02_UHYGZ5uZyUL91WNBL3pn11vC6e4a/s2048/_L4C3239-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmylcQz_8QHJ6AP8NA8zRSrmgx7Yy236NVUQ-ZQrvCVDVk8r1Grf-QtDU4AUcU1TLy0D5jyxzAsmchYMkc4hgUsLRTUENQr8ssugj-8GgXthPN02_UHYGZ5uZyUL91WNBL3pn11vC6e4a/w640-h426/_L4C3239-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan below the Morrow Point Dam on the Gunnison River</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOBOLzYt_vJmFPC19YLYq5Moe3yJRAatcsHztQOWi95GtGLhpmI4M51OxZBRV0o5RYoL3UPY4QrIdM1bIF5n48fBgPkQVYA7ze1qxZPWSDj9bx0R76nI_h_WQaA-rhItMwZayZoOaGryF/s2048/_L4C3254-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOBOLzYt_vJmFPC19YLYq5Moe3yJRAatcsHztQOWi95GtGLhpmI4M51OxZBRV0o5RYoL3UPY4QrIdM1bIF5n48fBgPkQVYA7ze1qxZPWSDj9bx0R76nI_h_WQaA-rhItMwZayZoOaGryF/w640-h426/_L4C3254-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We hike on the Mesa Creek Trail, below the dam</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL44kdWgpdNpE7np8L23BLnvP5Rg45Cbl3HSmqboaiF2xmGtABp-kXbU8tGIO1ACRa22oNUmTyASxOAGqLAF_rJ4fA-TOBO_kJN6htdDaRvwdd-DzlBW33DNu9QU7mcb-TtKRqLXYMoN7E/s2048/IMG_3440.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL44kdWgpdNpE7np8L23BLnvP5Rg45Cbl3HSmqboaiF2xmGtABp-kXbU8tGIO1ACRa22oNUmTyASxOAGqLAF_rJ4fA-TOBO_kJN6htdDaRvwdd-DzlBW33DNu9QU7mcb-TtKRqLXYMoN7E/w640-h480/IMG_3440.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike, near the end of the short hike down the river</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>On our way out we checked out the very nicely done Cimarron Canyon Rail Exhibit.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdcXO4FwklhdtDHCH_A4HY5hNPR1iQrCSQxICSaxyDZvj9TeMl6vwMsZYni80GtXuwCnFJXFxJqedVX2ZZvh48S8Uqll9kZLCSw5CGwo002fL1P0xNF2v_q9tecS8Hg_t-dkPdoAsjVhd/s2048/_L4C3282-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdcXO4FwklhdtDHCH_A4HY5hNPR1iQrCSQxICSaxyDZvj9TeMl6vwMsZYni80GtXuwCnFJXFxJqedVX2ZZvh48S8Uqll9kZLCSw5CGwo002fL1P0xNF2v_q9tecS8Hg_t-dkPdoAsjVhd/w640-h426/_L4C3282-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Locomotive and cars from the Denver & Rio Grande Western on display near Morrow Point</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJy_C6M83hl_o_JcxcZurnUMBbPjKnsFHu_OgHZPxvV2gFGzW5fZH_6PJLHJR5m5MwWmga9kucH80tmPTqSZy3Wp3CEvXs4u3QG9VsY7XSWri8nvG5ieuRPbOPqc2UZuOrbti-Ww8E_fYp/s2048/_L4C3287-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJy_C6M83hl_o_JcxcZurnUMBbPjKnsFHu_OgHZPxvV2gFGzW5fZH_6PJLHJR5m5MwWmga9kucH80tmPTqSZy3Wp3CEvXs4u3QG9VsY7XSWri8nvG5ieuRPbOPqc2UZuOrbti-Ww8E_fYp/w640-h360/_L4C3287-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>After stopping at Morrow Point, we went on down the road towards Blue Mesa Reservoir. Our plan was to hike out to the Dillon Pinnacles, but it was just a little too hot for us that day so we’ll have to go back. We did hike out a mile or two for a nice leg stretch.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1bLa1RWzCPj3MUYqYPSAwxQKLxPkFtQVU0sQboYNd6WcWEzr_OwA7E7q7u9UfTXTcR5SK0LIkwaSJV_xQivmeVLFVXZ7Hqz19m3IMFQV7oql5_Ta_ZPtU46FGzg7SyUs1ndwuVgKS8XNe/s2048/_L4C3288-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1bLa1RWzCPj3MUYqYPSAwxQKLxPkFtQVU0sQboYNd6WcWEzr_OwA7E7q7u9UfTXTcR5SK0LIkwaSJV_xQivmeVLFVXZ7Hqz19m3IMFQV7oql5_Ta_ZPtU46FGzg7SyUs1ndwuVgKS8XNe/w640-h360/_L4C3288-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking over Blue Mesa Reservoir with the Pinnacles in the distance</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cd9csuiJvq3z28wy7sPzCMD6tC1fa658o-UhKTJWzGHxZWpvVJJdnhFGRZmriTQW0iO0ZHHSCw30_xuqxKBg45BpqBBsRq7rHtJMSkTMij5HKfKzOAfJuvXIYA7VIMWfTXoX3nZLMiKx/s2048/_L4C3292-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cd9csuiJvq3z28wy7sPzCMD6tC1fa658o-UhKTJWzGHxZWpvVJJdnhFGRZmriTQW0iO0ZHHSCw30_xuqxKBg45BpqBBsRq7rHtJMSkTMij5HKfKzOAfJuvXIYA7VIMWfTXoX3nZLMiKx/w640-h360/_L4C3292-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trail out to the Pinnacles</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumkpJED552bQUxLfGe5B0Q0ZP6wiaElM11gt5lUnsVddIuzWiSfoDNIXczlOswjbNCCNB1Vq57getlTIISC85BJBTlCeofz-sLKXqpr3sHmLI1ko6d8BhQiD9dVTF5hXTCBOnU-uti7iO/s2048/_L4C3291-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumkpJED552bQUxLfGe5B0Q0ZP6wiaElM11gt5lUnsVddIuzWiSfoDNIXczlOswjbNCCNB1Vq57getlTIISC85BJBTlCeofz-sLKXqpr3sHmLI1ko6d8BhQiD9dVTF5hXTCBOnU-uti7iO/w640-h360/_L4C3291-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pinnacles</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>After an easy day, we stopped in Gunnison for the night. We went into town to get dinner to bring back to the hotel, and found that one of our favorite brewpubs, <a href="http://highalpinebrewing.com/" target="_blank">High Alpine Brewing Co.</a>, had a large open garage door open to the street. So, for the first time since March, we ate at a restaurant, instead of doing takeout. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jGeoaVs-ANwUJqQPDIybfhM4sTCX1pipeOiu6EL5KrLDKhLsSz11Hh_xM0Hw7eY8FrjMDJj_GrvKYb-yyMB3WQ2L9abeFwo-emXsEAaN7DjU8dIlHdIsgHPUWZHTpyCOSHmRy4XKOBno/s960/121168548_10157812536332842_938890137974401877_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jGeoaVs-ANwUJqQPDIybfhM4sTCX1pipeOiu6EL5KrLDKhLsSz11Hh_xM0Hw7eY8FrjMDJj_GrvKYb-yyMB3WQ2L9abeFwo-emXsEAaN7DjU8dIlHdIsgHPUWZHTpyCOSHmRy4XKOBno/w480-h640/121168548_10157812536332842_938890137974401877_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to eat!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>The next morning we drove up toward Crested Butte, and turned off to take scenic Cottonwood Pass. We stopped along the pass to hike up to Lost Lake. Very pretty hike, and only a bit over 3 miles with only 400 ft of gain. A bonus for us was seeing pika its habitat right at the edge of the lake. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqIxGhX6leeMWk5e8st1n6g04W25JMb6KjzDldULntsMX4CTYh6iJW4gvN6ihcxMFSPJH64FDZGSNGd-SXJReHxTA8JotIAPdy2a6AVq8pccwE5Ei_bTYozWnDZN0WYza0oPPthfhLJy-/s2048/_L4C3326-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqIxGhX6leeMWk5e8st1n6g04W25JMb6KjzDldULntsMX4CTYh6iJW4gvN6ihcxMFSPJH64FDZGSNGd-SXJReHxTA8JotIAPdy2a6AVq8pccwE5Ei_bTYozWnDZN0WYza0oPPthfhLJy-/w640-h360/_L4C3326-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along the trail to Lost Lake</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nH8kqb3LtrjG_oiY2atmYOudt61P1kFvI48jfk0CG0DaRsoBbIhyphenhyphenBPVm6reDtCQA-EjNDGjR2AXmmdrd87vcEPiaL5lBjdEaS69z-fJ6vCM_J667QGcY6OOUG3oTMnPOiEyWQYy_ciEx/s2048/_L4C3330-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nH8kqb3LtrjG_oiY2atmYOudt61P1kFvI48jfk0CG0DaRsoBbIhyphenhyphenBPVm6reDtCQA-EjNDGjR2AXmmdrd87vcEPiaL5lBjdEaS69z-fJ6vCM_J667QGcY6OOUG3oTMnPOiEyWQYy_ciEx/w640-h360/_L4C3330-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An unnamed tarn we detoured to on the way up</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZa-2md9sO4jLlnbMyrPTe0UUmaXKInm8UlS8jtVldh35ye72AQcNRv5P9tsbTkfM6ELB2os3U_XWn111PhyphenhyphenOEgDyJK-TgEMOhmI4GZXWCVsW3ZMvSHgMSYB9KeUn6HJk1h_xIWSNkGtM4/s2048/_L4C3332-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZa-2md9sO4jLlnbMyrPTe0UUmaXKInm8UlS8jtVldh35ye72AQcNRv5P9tsbTkfM6ELB2os3U_XWn111PhyphenhyphenOEgDyJK-TgEMOhmI4GZXWCVsW3ZMvSHgMSYB9KeUn6HJk1h_xIWSNkGtM4/w640-h360/_L4C3332-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjn1vrjH2bd99auoa4qadnkB2JijZskM1r-9FRAPQSxGCA8L2ntNCs3BzYOqAnoxhEzJ3ymTekDxtzR_87hYvv6h3WJnmKCUaOjMY1EYUEuopFrrKiuFeKW9JRcD2xxeyJ59WSq1c5L72/s2048/IMG_9749.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="982" data-original-width="2048" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjn1vrjH2bd99auoa4qadnkB2JijZskM1r-9FRAPQSxGCA8L2ntNCs3BzYOqAnoxhEzJ3ymTekDxtzR_87hYvv6h3WJnmKCUaOjMY1EYUEuopFrrKiuFeKW9JRcD2xxeyJ59WSq1c5L72/w640-h306/IMG_9749.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pano of Lost Lake</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPvPAOX49NgufO1Yo9s-JgCShCc3AiUitAZNxxmuoM9rKu2tcnPJOka8x8pErRaqtuDCtZPhEuTN3uZ4UmG3llROFRZWi_we1tO-KXfD_m8gGwWN68eC7SwsNq_jm1FmScqpq-AAaoxhQ/s2048/_L4C3354-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPvPAOX49NgufO1Yo9s-JgCShCc3AiUitAZNxxmuoM9rKu2tcnPJOka8x8pErRaqtuDCtZPhEuTN3uZ4UmG3llROFRZWi_we1tO-KXfD_m8gGwWN68eC7SwsNq_jm1FmScqpq-AAaoxhQ/w640-h426/_L4C3354-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lost Lake -- the talus field at center left is where we observed the pika</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCP6OobX36oklkOLsNqJRMf3MMjSpViEcNNPVUqWIShZRpkVIJGZU5eJfCo0dLEshEnH6ziBB-1yc0KEXWVAmZM0gvLAaDal4Azo5FWx7n5H3-0ZB7NM6Paf29CeYqMeilSih-RcPuawA/s942/_L4C3360-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="942" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCP6OobX36oklkOLsNqJRMf3MMjSpViEcNNPVUqWIShZRpkVIJGZU5eJfCo0dLEshEnH6ziBB-1yc0KEXWVAmZM0gvLAaDal4Azo5FWx7n5H3-0ZB7NM6Paf29CeYqMeilSih-RcPuawA/w640-h426/_L4C3360-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDuMPcgaj7Ow_Pd1DhD6R38e5n4o5KVKkCourxdwAFKEozKZ1wSQTGX0ADtYnkqdPUZmtKikJ1DWEcq51S7yRpCkmOqJP4VO4NEOdD4yrfej-3SAWcgfiPFvrU3PQMwC1YO5_koiSALBVn/s2048/_L4C3367-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDuMPcgaj7Ow_Pd1DhD6R38e5n4o5KVKkCourxdwAFKEozKZ1wSQTGX0ADtYnkqdPUZmtKikJ1DWEcq51S7yRpCkmOqJP4VO4NEOdD4yrfej-3SAWcgfiPFvrU3PQMwC1YO5_koiSALBVn/w640-h426/_L4C3367-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last look at Lost Lake before we headed back down the trail to the car</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />After the hike, we drove on to Dillon via Buena Vista, Fairplay, and Breckenridge. What a fun trip!</div>Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-51654323973865719282020-10-04T11:05:00.006-07:002021-01-27T17:15:33.041-07:00Southern Utah & Grand Canyon North Rim - Part III (Oct 3 - Oct 4, 2020)<div><a href="http://www.justournature.com/2020/10/southern-utah-grand-canyon-north-rim.html">Continued from Part II</a>... </div><div><br /></div><div>Saturday we learned about another slot canyon very close to Kanab. Confusingly, Red Canyon is also known as Peek-a-Boo Canyon. The 4 mile “road” to Red Canyon was a deep red sand wash that was a blast to drive through after airing down the tires on the 4Runner. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAVEFjocadbSiDif9meYux95lpSJteXaQIOCxczZY5c0HTk3Oogs8owiX4dpH6w4WzWFBcD_njQoVLpcBsMQbkkVLbrURLrAn0papGHGpqNRfDT1ZnJQ5QnTvoXKyZmB_Ka3U7P51_suJ/s2048/0EA571CE-06D8-4916-AD70-F76EC206FF1C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAVEFjocadbSiDif9meYux95lpSJteXaQIOCxczZY5c0HTk3Oogs8owiX4dpH6w4WzWFBcD_njQoVLpcBsMQbkkVLbrURLrAn0papGHGpqNRfDT1ZnJQ5QnTvoXKyZmB_Ka3U7P51_suJ/w640-h360/0EA571CE-06D8-4916-AD70-F76EC206FF1C.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyGZgJYZNj98I8izAGehgJnHF1eL2hVmU0rlGAfjV0NuOhKa1FnOuE4v-XX3GHGF7UmLYQdgbfw2nqyggkVhMTA5AB3eZpr415jeXDWkhwGQugzIPFP1sLayMoCYpKrWzlj8z4tHEb7sE/s2048/808E41FC-0760-45B6-9457-DD26E7555B9E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyGZgJYZNj98I8izAGehgJnHF1eL2hVmU0rlGAfjV0NuOhKa1FnOuE4v-XX3GHGF7UmLYQdgbfw2nqyggkVhMTA5AB3eZpr415jeXDWkhwGQugzIPFP1sLayMoCYpKrWzlj8z4tHEb7sE/w640-h360/808E41FC-0760-45B6-9457-DD26E7555B9E.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>The Canyon itself was a short and easy but beautiful little hike.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mPYFub9womOT8d5dxJbrUrzlvS32OAVxtvQIA_2PNdmxteD46rZXk3WgFi4nK0SlziotCKSPFH4lYr8vpwfuF4N2JdQH9U2Fu-kSBz921PurMg1kQw7YLurnNB1ut4sbjnqY-5Y7rVIY/s2048/_L4C2864-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mPYFub9womOT8d5dxJbrUrzlvS32OAVxtvQIA_2PNdmxteD46rZXk3WgFi4nK0SlziotCKSPFH4lYr8vpwfuF4N2JdQH9U2Fu-kSBz921PurMg1kQw7YLurnNB1ut4sbjnqY-5Y7rVIY/w640-h426/_L4C2864-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Near the entrance to Red Canyon, before it began to narrow</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaq8ilcFYXsMztp97T3qVaAeamt5pJh-VNJ3MYrg1A7-qqc7KapdcMafXXv9nLdOhTNZeelucb3qcTH5F4HR-LvwatQWwDUxzmLLalku9RjLtlRHFDlD6mUdSLU-SaV-7-rKYaejiRySXf/s2048/_L4C2875-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaq8ilcFYXsMztp97T3qVaAeamt5pJh-VNJ3MYrg1A7-qqc7KapdcMafXXv9nLdOhTNZeelucb3qcTH5F4HR-LvwatQWwDUxzmLLalku9RjLtlRHFDlD6mUdSLU-SaV-7-rKYaejiRySXf/w426-h640/_L4C2875-2k.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan in Red Canyon aka Peekaboo</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZudJH3A-Hy3l8wJ8b2GL_oT-PRoac3u62DGWsCrQ5nV86WhEvcGsJqd4QWg5KU11WVQInE1AhmpTJ6YKMbLdYv-GCUPCFWxZhmoKrOFn5jop9yYvpA-mMPfYkpEqOeMUfPoqrQYrO4eD/s2048/44BC651C-D3C7-47EA-91FB-A1179ACC9DC2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZudJH3A-Hy3l8wJ8b2GL_oT-PRoac3u62DGWsCrQ5nV86WhEvcGsJqd4QWg5KU11WVQInE1AhmpTJ6YKMbLdYv-GCUPCFWxZhmoKrOFn5jop9yYvpA-mMPfYkpEqOeMUfPoqrQYrO4eD/w480-h640/44BC651C-D3C7-47EA-91FB-A1179ACC9DC2.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_Gu1eIkr-FxvZPDTWqqAdCOZOayABNEqA3MVlMyEheraFIcjyn3IeZ4fbAKyiWKEvA6TqQsFcY4hCalkTV75FdQoUrPaIuvKH4Kb4_QRHwYcNtmT8lbJ-Y-OKA-we0GSaLA7T7wKmE0S/s1678/_L4C2893-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1678" data-original-width="1678" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_Gu1eIkr-FxvZPDTWqqAdCOZOayABNEqA3MVlMyEheraFIcjyn3IeZ4fbAKyiWKEvA6TqQsFcY4hCalkTV75FdQoUrPaIuvKH4Kb4_QRHwYcNtmT8lbJ-Y-OKA-we0GSaLA7T7wKmE0S/w640-h640/_L4C2893-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Have we mentioned how much we enjoy hiking in slot canyons? :-) </div><div><br /></div><div>Afterward we drove back along the Johnson Canyon loop where many westerns were filmed in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Along the way we ran across some ranchers moving a small herd of cattle along the road.</div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJiUztGZE94x-Hw7yJQ5I8hFAEbJk6FXSlTajIXMvrYNOG3iG7CdCkpuDWbCI95E8ZVBWWOdgSDVTYUWb7v3UzyBumoCKt5N_gUYEOSy9tXYkNkibfSao1uQpmYXB_oRX8XDpidLlDqwDN/s2048/3B0D4C90-E81B-4E35-BAD6-7732D67DB16F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJiUztGZE94x-Hw7yJQ5I8hFAEbJk6FXSlTajIXMvrYNOG3iG7CdCkpuDWbCI95E8ZVBWWOdgSDVTYUWb7v3UzyBumoCKt5N_gUYEOSy9tXYkNkibfSao1uQpmYXB_oRX8XDpidLlDqwDN/w640-h480/3B0D4C90-E81B-4E35-BAD6-7732D67DB16F.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>The Saddle Mountain viewpoint of the North Rim was our goal Sunday morning. Unfortunately there was quite a bit of smoke in the air, but the haze made for some interesting photography.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNsoJhJXgJ2i8MrGfZ1TdusFPT6ywp9L7havQi78LeEzz1-HVbuUYIxRCxk-Hd2qxxDlOF73_RwsUyNuLilzbzCAQvQltY8hzmGySzIa9JH2h3fsducqAdNicpsXEKECK9DHmEJsYUo8gW/s2048/_L4C2921-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNsoJhJXgJ2i8MrGfZ1TdusFPT6ywp9L7havQi78LeEzz1-HVbuUYIxRCxk-Hd2qxxDlOF73_RwsUyNuLilzbzCAQvQltY8hzmGySzIa9JH2h3fsducqAdNicpsXEKECK9DHmEJsYUo8gW/w640-h426/_L4C2921-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had excellent fall color on the drive to the Saddle Mountain Overlook</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDb6ofYf00qe4oXp4So0WDhRUGJ97Wd-8G4WieBoduVwKJhaQ1z2JAFsPjjYWsdi-RXV-CisZzzWQt-n-uvWEiMroSbF2HCQ9ab99SCr9hVvGYwC83NDRC-Ztahcx2wGnAEpmrd_kS7l1M/s2048/_L4C2928-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDb6ofYf00qe4oXp4So0WDhRUGJ97Wd-8G4WieBoduVwKJhaQ1z2JAFsPjjYWsdi-RXV-CisZzzWQt-n-uvWEiMroSbF2HCQ9ab99SCr9hVvGYwC83NDRC-Ztahcx2wGnAEpmrd_kS7l1M/w640-h360/_L4C2928-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">We took a small detour off the road to Saddle Mountain to another overlook</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWBrVtX7oK6G1LUPMYuRny01NPyfaSmYdEM0PTVyFwsp6PzWmdCcZvMgf68rWwAnpS11UbECNWWANeqzX-kKQhpxIUno1QQamsfXkiFzXMGGhLVVgX-KHS0POEjv2-JkcKn8CJ-hGj0Z5/s2048/_L4C2936-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWBrVtX7oK6G1LUPMYuRny01NPyfaSmYdEM0PTVyFwsp6PzWmdCcZvMgf68rWwAnpS11UbECNWWANeqzX-kKQhpxIUno1QQamsfXkiFzXMGGhLVVgX-KHS0POEjv2-JkcKn8CJ-hGj0Z5/w640-h426/_L4C2936-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The aspen along the road was pretty much at its peak</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD64ofEpPf_iAHtuobgskpkbPYDH8ofj1jVDabD7z2X6fgP2rPjq5X0GXc46EmCRgkXkDnFQ7BWAccr-hRKbSEH20P632oRhzy3OJ9xwlHrdPM4IBdUUYFqDYh6C8RmTit-HN_T8UqhdeN/s2048/_L4C2960-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD64ofEpPf_iAHtuobgskpkbPYDH8ofj1jVDabD7z2X6fgP2rPjq5X0GXc46EmCRgkXkDnFQ7BWAccr-hRKbSEH20P632oRhzy3OJ9xwlHrdPM4IBdUUYFqDYh6C8RmTit-HN_T8UqhdeN/w640-h360/_L4C2960-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The view from the Saddle Mountain Overlook</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLO73zjWQtt87wr-faTcbsQV-ZXhtKlvKjlsOsvu7jcQLmaWL2P8gHUitx49Zz-NVcY7HgeYvr0c7mVT2LGbwtN5e_sNVMlIG66KH0jV6NC7FfE8iSiZqWXfbcM2618XcMcVUiZE9quuv/s2048/_L4C2964-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLO73zjWQtt87wr-faTcbsQV-ZXhtKlvKjlsOsvu7jcQLmaWL2P8gHUitx49Zz-NVcY7HgeYvr0c7mVT2LGbwtN5e_sNVMlIG66KH0jV6NC7FfE8iSiZqWXfbcM2618XcMcVUiZE9quuv/w640-h426/_L4C2964-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>The smoky view treated in black and white :-) </td></tr></tbody></table><br />There wasn’t much open space to explore at this viewpoint, so we decided to do the off-road trek to Point Sublime. This is about a 20 mile drive on a moderately difficult 4x4 trail, so we stopped at the North Rim Backcountry Office to check on trail conditions. We learned the trail was open and in good shape, though the ranger told us when they go to Point Sublime they often take the longer way in from the north, as the trail we would take is so rough. We were not deterred. We also picked up some food for a picnic lunch later in the day. </div><div><br /></div><div>The road to Point Sublime passed through many open areas and also forested areas, with a few places to pull off and walk to the rocky canyon rim for stunning views. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQiT-LdeRUjxtorf7WRcTIOMU8ssnc0-NTxUOqMcVhPJemXwmLT73z_LyLOfoLUDC0iMCshopgE-xLIw9ADRwvIPLtDJyPWOfTmnYYeLRRX9DHx22Cjaz7iLYKniRcsfzjtfUQm1at-ua/s2048/IMG_3270.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQiT-LdeRUjxtorf7WRcTIOMU8ssnc0-NTxUOqMcVhPJemXwmLT73z_LyLOfoLUDC0iMCshopgE-xLIw9ADRwvIPLtDJyPWOfTmnYYeLRRX9DHx22Cjaz7iLYKniRcsfzjtfUQm1at-ua/w640-h360/IMG_3270.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8p-u8mse40vAIsbuPeao1nOKmGnPjBvz1sTxbrHR3mTouL8BVwN4tpkUklSFINSOxScCOhtSSFUexWaXVd-mI5SJFwAwxf4xK_SZIjtkrue_12m058OU6OJPrffreO5_XX0m26NKHPow/s2048/IMG_3292.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8p-u8mse40vAIsbuPeao1nOKmGnPjBvz1sTxbrHR3mTouL8BVwN4tpkUklSFINSOxScCOhtSSFUexWaXVd-mI5SJFwAwxf4xK_SZIjtkrue_12m058OU6OJPrffreO5_XX0m26NKHPow/w640-h360/IMG_3292.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the pullouts near the canyon rim</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQ832rC2CGFmAgZlvWpRpiQinn4g99rKxEOlVTr5XHLtShDHZlorhmx7tXtxq-UsRwt92CSeJjRGJeouIHQd4po8QHHuLEdPPPqsAxt-4paZt7zhP1M2CeTt0kI6lE83N3k-I6TgKbAS1/s2048/_L4C2972-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQ832rC2CGFmAgZlvWpRpiQinn4g99rKxEOlVTr5XHLtShDHZlorhmx7tXtxq-UsRwt92CSeJjRGJeouIHQd4po8QHHuLEdPPPqsAxt-4paZt7zhP1M2CeTt0kI6lE83N3k-I6TgKbAS1/w640-h426/_L4C2972-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan at the rocky canyon rim</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGr5fEDlwO8qED3ZfQjftGHw-hSp2XGgypk22yWoqtjpBVlyKFneBwuNihnpYNcqruWCkcKXPVoyI52iSqNWVCHmSBi-N2hSurbNN6ofxZgxP-7nMWa2I1MAIJqOMKcqGSUsnUK8Jdgkd/s2048/Screen+Shot+2020-12-18+at+9.53.31+AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1180" data-original-width="2048" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGr5fEDlwO8qED3ZfQjftGHw-hSp2XGgypk22yWoqtjpBVlyKFneBwuNihnpYNcqruWCkcKXPVoyI52iSqNWVCHmSBi-N2hSurbNN6ofxZgxP-7nMWa2I1MAIJqOMKcqGSUsnUK8Jdgkd/w640-h368/Screen+Shot+2020-12-18+at+9.53.31+AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red point on map showing location of the pullout and views to the south</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1gDXj-ujdrCJjsbYLyVzqMRgYWxDBpba4Bf66GHTdmL_Z_BaOggiwFbZ0T9ijPmAWhqWdr1amgWMp8VyxSun6BzrStqQjXp2Dbty29bVxPqh1P6PRQBtJ4_EH5Vo8gPaF9LcjHFi9ztW/s2048/_L4C2971-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1gDXj-ujdrCJjsbYLyVzqMRgYWxDBpba4Bf66GHTdmL_Z_BaOggiwFbZ0T9ijPmAWhqWdr1amgWMp8VyxSun6BzrStqQjXp2Dbty29bVxPqh1P6PRQBtJ4_EH5Vo8gPaF9LcjHFi9ztW/w640-h426/_L4C2971-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the unnamed pullout</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>After arriving at Point Sublime, we parked Moby, and walked around the rim, marveling at the views. Surprisingly, there were 3 or 4 other parties with 4x4 vehicles who came and went while we were there. </div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIAOm0JD5fAtGiaEe81pBRqBvXxsHhqniYMn9mlk_DOXQD018-L0HKWUSSED4L8DfeohdBrfwGZNzxd8NkEcvY9cs9Xqa0yy0Ob1JlbGP08wzc95W-Tg_fpV5nF2yJyOlzggdg6__HcXW6/s2048/_L4C3002-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIAOm0JD5fAtGiaEe81pBRqBvXxsHhqniYMn9mlk_DOXQD018-L0HKWUSSED4L8DfeohdBrfwGZNzxd8NkEcvY9cs9Xqa0yy0Ob1JlbGP08wzc95W-Tg_fpV5nF2yJyOlzggdg6__HcXW6/w640-h360/_L4C3002-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9D8ctvSVIdF5DI6512VDC8zgj1iaSYu4qfbv_AHy1XN-BKgqqdbxHOS6BEYwQ2VjJh6xJ-3efephH8OzMAM_XCb1WwewsAUN0MOVUNbAhpRYYcl1JaqTxf3LsIFeEmJ3Ygm2ZcMql3lz/s2048/_L4C3019-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9D8ctvSVIdF5DI6512VDC8zgj1iaSYu4qfbv_AHy1XN-BKgqqdbxHOS6BEYwQ2VjJh6xJ-3efephH8OzMAM_XCb1WwewsAUN0MOVUNbAhpRYYcl1JaqTxf3LsIFeEmJ3Ygm2ZcMql3lz/w640-h426/_L4C3019-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNSnT6XOsfypk086JksHrl6IbmosFBXLURgyQwHy42lYeUaR-Ua_Igjv3iR9iQxRez1KxY1V9HsEXWgjTVxTjx-QPSvyJCWOG0DCj9MRvZ8-jIdU_3AyoVdJHp8seFMB89kMh2z54LW6i/s2048/_L4C3021-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNSnT6XOsfypk086JksHrl6IbmosFBXLURgyQwHy42lYeUaR-Ua_Igjv3iR9iQxRez1KxY1V9HsEXWgjTVxTjx-QPSvyJCWOG0DCj9MRvZ8-jIdU_3AyoVdJHp8seFMB89kMh2z54LW6i/w640-h426/_L4C3021-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, we discovered why Point Sublime has its name -- the views from there are truly stunning, and we lingered for awhile, taking in the views and eating our lunch. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqUZDxY9izW6oP1mTHwY-Fv6PNCAcK_u_RcqQmKCMpa4oD7RtjxnJLgQwyGymxmUGLGvqrf6ytJZQ014_ou33qucYQplurRPSFHD7SgwwsfyZ5Yb-3HzI1I72Ej2JhwtuHBdhoPMQNG0e/s2048/IMG_3296.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1566" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqUZDxY9izW6oP1mTHwY-Fv6PNCAcK_u_RcqQmKCMpa4oD7RtjxnJLgQwyGymxmUGLGvqrf6ytJZQ014_ou33qucYQplurRPSFHD7SgwwsfyZ5Yb-3HzI1I72Ej2JhwtuHBdhoPMQNG0e/w490-h640/IMG_3296.jpeg" width="490" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from our shady picnic table lunch spot</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5C8NAzQDoAW0y5uokDvCIc94IxGdwbZaFy_KVpHVpxYKI5bFOQlF5CJAjq1mlkrDD5VaPM6dAN_fRRcNXhM5LHqv0Zw0gkmPiB8pxgFbfBfvj_Yq89ve-9RVKrZFlpyph2BzKKSfhwgiB/s2048/_L4C3000-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5C8NAzQDoAW0y5uokDvCIc94IxGdwbZaFy_KVpHVpxYKI5bFOQlF5CJAjq1mlkrDD5VaPM6dAN_fRRcNXhM5LHqv0Zw0gkmPiB8pxgFbfBfvj_Yq89ve-9RVKrZFlpyph2BzKKSfhwgiB/w640-h426/_L4C3000-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>We hit the trail again, heading north with another 20 miles of off-pavement driving, and another 3 hours back to Kanab. It was a very fun day! But the next day, we took a break...</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.justournature.com/2020/10/utah-grand-canyon-north-rim-part-iv-oct.html">Continued in Part IV</a>...</div>Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-60608788430493071132020-10-02T10:59:00.007-07:002020-12-19T09:32:21.801-07:00Southern Utah & Grand Canyon North Rim - Part II (Sep 30 - Oct 2, 2020)<div>Continued from <a href="http://www.justournature.com/2020/09/southern-utah-slot-canyons-sep-28-29.html">Part I of this trip</a>... </div><div><br /></div>Based out of the Holiday Inn Express in Kanab, we planned to finally see the North Rim of the Grand Canyon together over several days, including some of the remote overlooks accessible only by high-clearance 4x4 vehicles. <br /><br />We visited the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in March 2009 (before we were blogging), and had always wanted to visit the North Rim. <br /><div><br /></div><div>We read somewhere that only 10% of Grand Canyon National Park's 6 million visitors make it to the North Rim. We found that this was reduced even further because of the pandemic -- a worker in the North Rim Visitor Center told us current visitation was about 25% of "normal."</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMs9G_8aKVdXU4AF_PJOpU3QshOkshyBFjqfhyMKoOAl9IBeVOz2w811Jth058ze5JahkjKvwmtRycQ7vOk6ESLk7JQFy6v5nyz0w_-PpzUhkAgdOo-qHR1MHGUG4xrRjdAT5Y9aIvlJe/s2692/grand-canyon-north-rim-map.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="2692" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMs9G_8aKVdXU4AF_PJOpU3QshOkshyBFjqfhyMKoOAl9IBeVOz2w811Jth058ze5JahkjKvwmtRycQ7vOk6ESLk7JQFy6v5nyz0w_-PpzUhkAgdOo-qHR1MHGUG4xrRjdAT5Y9aIvlJe/w640-h252/grand-canyon-north-rim-map.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Canyon North Rim area; map courtesy of npmaps.com <br />(click map to enlarge)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div><br /></div><div>On our first day we visited the main area the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park which was more than an hour and a half drive south of Kanab in Arizona. The aspens were at their peak of fall color all along the Kaibab Plateau, sometimes strikingly interspersed with burned areas.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once inside the National Park, we headed west on the paved road to Point Imperial, one of the higher viewpoints, followed by Cape Royal. The clear blue skies were so welcome after all the smoke-filled skies back home. The views down into the canyon were an incredible sight!</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Click on any image to see a larger version</b></i></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhYRor5lJ5SbKNiHYMuR0z8PkjJeGtf-Dkk3tesZTd3y0MJfiVmCWo1ScHLxrL-qgM7hktiJ8VLIZU-juaMPWyzxf67AudI0uDhYvN9ptdYugWCal0LNFeNrTOk0GmYLlAHp_3oZfCJIa/s2048/_L4C2160-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhYRor5lJ5SbKNiHYMuR0z8PkjJeGtf-Dkk3tesZTd3y0MJfiVmCWo1ScHLxrL-qgM7hktiJ8VLIZU-juaMPWyzxf67AudI0uDhYvN9ptdYugWCal0LNFeNrTOk0GmYLlAHp_3oZfCJIa/w640-h360/_L4C2160-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Imperial Point</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3Vl1-swm-BUAmqX_p_mEmE2621FIOaMFI9iylgKlILN5DyuHVWuaM9gMhU0ylWr_FS_6COAGwgVM6N81q-wO544AngCmjB0cWJJG44xg7JfJR0SEwDCA-J7Fj49ViEtZ4M3pYPIQncM7/s2048/_L4C2176-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3Vl1-swm-BUAmqX_p_mEmE2621FIOaMFI9iylgKlILN5DyuHVWuaM9gMhU0ylWr_FS_6COAGwgVM6N81q-wO544AngCmjB0cWJJG44xg7JfJR0SEwDCA-J7Fj49ViEtZ4M3pYPIQncM7/w640-h426/_L4C2176-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Imperial Point</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Pix2fy_HxX3muS1ZkDHiMSz_IKlfPt57fGzk0IZXjGJ0pfzZIw7oXysNhR5TYu4LUGRSfrRv0O9XxdzV4nfD2CuQQyZD1hyphenhyphengaE26gk0jQbrMQ70PnlYMJjLh5sv8-kvqpdHJ2dPUXAdC/s2048/_L4C2177-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Pix2fy_HxX3muS1ZkDHiMSz_IKlfPt57fGzk0IZXjGJ0pfzZIw7oXysNhR5TYu4LUGRSfrRv0O9XxdzV4nfD2CuQQyZD1hyphenhyphengaE26gk0jQbrMQ70PnlYMJjLh5sv8-kvqpdHJ2dPUXAdC/w640-h426/_L4C2177-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Angels Window, near Cape Royal</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3Ybb0XXtdn2nP0xujdGZ2rfeMU-EGToSsNYx3S_cNBR6UvYcEAp6MiGWmWd4nqPLWI_LUhMWRFFfIKgaoqJfjZ27p2lvCCxHd4gLrCxUyX_qtnl7STjjn-jt4Wwe0R-2co4zTmNhuflJ/s2048/_L4C2192-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3Ybb0XXtdn2nP0xujdGZ2rfeMU-EGToSsNYx3S_cNBR6UvYcEAp6MiGWmWd4nqPLWI_LUhMWRFFfIKgaoqJfjZ27p2lvCCxHd4gLrCxUyX_qtnl7STjjn-jt4Wwe0R-2co4zTmNhuflJ/w640-h426/_L4C2192-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Cape Royal</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgeT13zU2Uk1AAJN7kZzM2-3MsdNe8sNafwbOxHAq2oUng8d7fkems2IE7lWFY6SN77QFH-jE7TK-nNzDJl3ffDn2-OzXBu5yn1d_HGdNrLUuKl60xcAzTlmP0q1mJpkm5WcBDgA-2518/s2048/_L4C2197-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgeT13zU2Uk1AAJN7kZzM2-3MsdNe8sNafwbOxHAq2oUng8d7fkems2IE7lWFY6SN77QFH-jE7TK-nNzDJl3ffDn2-OzXBu5yn1d_HGdNrLUuKl60xcAzTlmP0q1mJpkm5WcBDgA-2518/w640-h426/_L4C2197-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view from the spectacular Cape Royal viewpoint</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br />We then drove to the North Rim Visitor Center for a late lunch at the only place open (The Saloon) during the pandemic, then checked out the nearby viewpoints ending with a gorgeous sunset at Bright Angel Point. By luck, the moon was rising just as the sun went down.<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6Soe7MTiEurNCiMvmppy3YhRTx94da-aUMS_FkOCVIA58AOrex_WuOCbxJjPP6Fjo2yUXA-5JxJAO6pd9fvFA5OSTicwpOC3xuQg_Vpv-0idO4gX8jFPDmlrO5SkII6-G4kXczO5bFtY/s2048/IMG_9621.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6Soe7MTiEurNCiMvmppy3YhRTx94da-aUMS_FkOCVIA58AOrex_WuOCbxJjPP6Fjo2yUXA-5JxJAO6pd9fvFA5OSTicwpOC3xuQg_Vpv-0idO4gX8jFPDmlrO5SkII6-G4kXczO5bFtY/w640-h480/IMG_9621.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Canyon Lodge at the North Rim Visitors Center</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8yXwXM6tZcao4YK3UMDvQeOATeXBuXf1fC4y2rFukAs16c9-vAvH28WqdkjnOAhQeyS5AEQWsI1Q69Ng7ydrbQcHb2vs4acIBXnKxwd8vyfMunZT7AkKpTiEWUG0Oq00lLXpjj8cFuD5/s2048/_L4C2223-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8yXwXM6tZcao4YK3UMDvQeOATeXBuXf1fC4y2rFukAs16c9-vAvH28WqdkjnOAhQeyS5AEQWsI1Q69Ng7ydrbQcHb2vs4acIBXnKxwd8vyfMunZT7AkKpTiEWUG0Oq00lLXpjj8cFuD5/w640-h360/_L4C2223-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Bright Angel Point</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjA7UcYY5CibdI9Or5pyYHlviuTJK23-tKhMmfZu-00scjdb0Q0RaPOpe_pJHZIEU9S-_CTqr1XLDipIrkirMW4W5Ckdfz1wGr4lpKA4Tdw1kAehDpybWxeEeOhdDbuQuuUqB7v0IV1qQL/s2048/_L4C2335-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjA7UcYY5CibdI9Or5pyYHlviuTJK23-tKhMmfZu-00scjdb0Q0RaPOpe_pJHZIEU9S-_CTqr1XLDipIrkirMW4W5Ckdfz1wGr4lpKA4Tdw1kAehDpybWxeEeOhdDbuQuuUqB7v0IV1qQL/w640-h360/_L4C2335-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Bright Angel Point</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZSlrDSUFclFCPEljfd59-rz_UzpRTsMAUBOpsvIDfgRLmlpNzBmY0MvVZTLEv6eCYQcujX7g3et87RAlloec3YBWUL4iOY0gkX9OkevKxIX1vPWNJujLbupV514S2xUoLoF_Xdc-CCRf/s2048/_L4C2390-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZSlrDSUFclFCPEljfd59-rz_UzpRTsMAUBOpsvIDfgRLmlpNzBmY0MvVZTLEv6eCYQcujX7g3et87RAlloec3YBWUL4iOY0gkX9OkevKxIX1vPWNJujLbupV514S2xUoLoF_Xdc-CCRf/w640-h360/_L4C2390-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obligatory selfie at Bright Angel Point</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEcCxzH1t4m9SdTjP5gCzPVq5STnrr_et2bNodhFaJCaPDG_5hxDZqlPUaZlLy0zvZWNJwt-vigUcG6u72QrG_RvoZpFyL3KI-LRaLkCBXbXwNxb1F1GaGt4djKh3vOujLKuonl4grC8A/s2048/_L4C2541-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEcCxzH1t4m9SdTjP5gCzPVq5STnrr_et2bNodhFaJCaPDG_5hxDZqlPUaZlLy0zvZWNJwt-vigUcG6u72QrG_RvoZpFyL3KI-LRaLkCBXbXwNxb1F1GaGt4djKh3vOujLKuonl4grC8A/w640-h426/_L4C2541-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moonrise</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6Bxn08lJgW5Xo7svzs4uFAdFxfEitk6GFpXmgoFz3pTIBEGy7Mz75q5z1nLVzoghFzTN9AMBhG6gDa5qupTu0sc4JAQl693KPKcj6wYM3dcRUAXAWvKHA6bssgSBPG_nEq7dT7Zg8uXI/s2048/_L4C2557-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6Bxn08lJgW5Xo7svzs4uFAdFxfEitk6GFpXmgoFz3pTIBEGy7Mz75q5z1nLVzoghFzTN9AMBhG6gDa5qupTu0sc4JAQl693KPKcj6wYM3dcRUAXAWvKHA6bssgSBPG_nEq7dT7Zg8uXI/w640-h426/_L4C2557-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last light at Bright Angel Point</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>We got back to Kanab after 9pm, having driven over 200 miles to the North Rim area and back. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thursday morning we were ready for a break from all the driving and found a couple of short hikes not too far from Kanab. </div><div><br /></div><div>First was the Toadstool Hoodoos, a bit east of Kanab. This easy and popular hike was really fun. As a backdrop to the hoodoos was a wall of light sandstone that reminded us of Nevada’s Cathedral Gorge. The Toadstools were in a large open area you could wander around on. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx47I3UI_3CNzVt8rD4HjsDTUdZg-fpCuIXtt2x3u_J0wSe0-0NIJEi0u8G92lUr-OuuSYW_XGwHlZ3ioJfPyWP1dpujilBsHvFHlQNKzfb9Zth7q8xPcfz570zc0u6F5rIUiHf6ALTABP/s2048/IMG_9639.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx47I3UI_3CNzVt8rD4HjsDTUdZg-fpCuIXtt2x3u_J0wSe0-0NIJEi0u8G92lUr-OuuSYW_XGwHlZ3ioJfPyWP1dpujilBsHvFHlQNKzfb9Zth7q8xPcfz570zc0u6F5rIUiHf6ALTABP/w640-h480/IMG_9639.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking up to the Toadstools</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCBCL4dKa5rWajPRFOemFWGvbYX7h7qDY7NaalTOUFv7qz030usA1QAldG1mo84bpORrI3vVYYrgpnCilsigiToRGa5gWIXZsOM8gcQwsvDItLKV98NG2hO7rB5FekxxF8Mvcjz5qXWC0/s2048/_L4C2590-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCBCL4dKa5rWajPRFOemFWGvbYX7h7qDY7NaalTOUFv7qz030usA1QAldG1mo84bpORrI3vVYYrgpnCilsigiToRGa5gWIXZsOM8gcQwsvDItLKV98NG2hO7rB5FekxxF8Mvcjz5qXWC0/w640-h426/_L4C2590-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi17IhTv9I-xIIW-I7nQNSRN0eyd8Mo8z4IUpjQNT4QxKDju44NmYcflfwgSADHwnJRDdoU_OdzVai7ZYaEUxgOciDMuT0Vl5VaNlBoniq97W81ITUMXFsF0Z2DhproxIVGcPZWZfmZ0fE/s2048/_L4C2587-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi17IhTv9I-xIIW-I7nQNSRN0eyd8Mo8z4IUpjQNT4QxKDju44NmYcflfwgSADHwnJRDdoU_OdzVai7ZYaEUxgOciDMuT0Vl5VaNlBoniq97W81ITUMXFsF0Z2DhproxIVGcPZWZfmZ0fE/w640-h426/_L4C2587-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg246rjpzJ35crA2Mh2I4ZF-OZ2R6HFuiAopGfipQ6oOh0QvRWgj-bLtFfOax-NnKfWQWjmqBDzZt_qAys9-wOzQeRKpvcFNisDm1fleUzHa5iWtgKJHgRgFAeg9UR3Fv7YSsdTiDAxojeb/s2048/_L4C2620-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg246rjpzJ35crA2Mh2I4ZF-OZ2R6HFuiAopGfipQ6oOh0QvRWgj-bLtFfOax-NnKfWQWjmqBDzZt_qAys9-wOzQeRKpvcFNisDm1fleUzHa5iWtgKJHgRgFAeg9UR3Fv7YSsdTiDAxojeb/w640-h426/_L4C2620-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6VXt_VI1dNRt49uSXtun6sMDPxH1W5iOLv4nCQb5nwWMEJ2Q_1YxHj25u1YgR7p7kTcwCDLCPnnrIor2ibYX2l6zZO6r1vd-LvQAw7hK9MtpjldSEBxheGmh4oQxygpkQbu8-URc88zY/s2048/_L4C2602-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6VXt_VI1dNRt49uSXtun6sMDPxH1W5iOLv4nCQb5nwWMEJ2Q_1YxHj25u1YgR7p7kTcwCDLCPnnrIor2ibYX2l6zZO6r1vd-LvQAw7hK9MtpjldSEBxheGmh4oQxygpkQbu8-URc88zY/w640-h360/_L4C2602-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plenty of room to wander around the interesting rock formations</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Fortunately our next hike was even shorter because the mid-day heat was becoming a bit much. We hiked half a mile through a wash off of a dirt road to reach The Nautilus, one of the more unusual rock formations we’ve seen in Utah.</div><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoBFZ6Wq44v48i0WzsMKEarNJDgma9Uos46jw4YAH0M95QcvCwhp2bOd4lTOIWzy-OOJy9NI8kH3m13SKttt2AuMOxGXyYQP_AyLxGwdrBQYdgrBgrR2BJFo_jujZFGyD8oS2UPlUplpPO/s2048/_L4C2682-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoBFZ6Wq44v48i0WzsMKEarNJDgma9Uos46jw4YAH0M95QcvCwhp2bOd4lTOIWzy-OOJy9NI8kH3m13SKttt2AuMOxGXyYQP_AyLxGwdrBQYdgrBgrR2BJFo_jujZFGyD8oS2UPlUplpPO/w640-h426/_L4C2682-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking into "The Nautilus"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GeMVaxe7l5MAtBMJ1KyLpiM9XFljkygz4Uv0jRoarLRsVTGqder9L5EnJWH4-np7NJsnTAouYavN0v02Cze4Jvu50NLVb2gWEn4jlejRcoQrgK4wEsmhiHdZ9M5Z6l6DzglGu3cHtoZP/s2048/27B325C5-A4E9-4A1E-97FE-C3CDF3354875.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GeMVaxe7l5MAtBMJ1KyLpiM9XFljkygz4Uv0jRoarLRsVTGqder9L5EnJWH4-np7NJsnTAouYavN0v02Cze4Jvu50NLVb2gWEn4jlejRcoQrgK4wEsmhiHdZ9M5Z6l6DzglGu3cHtoZP/w640-h480/27B325C5-A4E9-4A1E-97FE-C3CDF3354875.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTHHXteOqgF4l8Zl7HgJqT218v5IR3b96Lmclevk0YBgKvS7HpFn4IR2ZSVbGZkgTFuyLmHcwz4dOoEV7je-ZGM8bY9qX_HQNHo199s8_KsrkIyk4aKDPk5ztrKXQKDB0HQMpK8iKjQvK/s2048/_L4C2647-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTHHXteOqgF4l8Zl7HgJqT218v5IR3b96Lmclevk0YBgKvS7HpFn4IR2ZSVbGZkgTFuyLmHcwz4dOoEV7je-ZGM8bY9qX_HQNHo199s8_KsrkIyk4aKDPk5ztrKXQKDB0HQMpK8iKjQvK/w426-h640/_L4C2647-2k.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan standing inside the Nautilus</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-5FL8eslrVuR0zKX4wF4LVjV_m5GXt3mc1H988w_PgDaQMt5oReclld40wX95vHipwIhK6AhonvG6zlcV-6eah4JvjUUXsUFNE7zoi31pkSNmCQUgVna7YnkHS_fXns6_qW4kogXYEo6/s2048/_L4C2723-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-5FL8eslrVuR0zKX4wF4LVjV_m5GXt3mc1H988w_PgDaQMt5oReclld40wX95vHipwIhK6AhonvG6zlcV-6eah4JvjUUXsUFNE7zoi31pkSNmCQUgVna7YnkHS_fXns6_qW4kogXYEo6/w640-h426/_L4C2723-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wash we hiked in on to see the Nautilus</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPBasge3wv8wRcxIuq9l26ZLUvvuSLEb9SSdXDVdHMsbARDb6Ijkzji27E8ZNNfotHTJyB2Vw3wLKUHrvCufXhJ8xRJFB5Q5Ng4I1VhKVEVdAqgQiFRmtuGumR2sNFvRBKLI_oZSXun9c/s2048/_L4C2701-2k.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPBasge3wv8wRcxIuq9l26ZLUvvuSLEb9SSdXDVdHMsbARDb6Ijkzji27E8ZNNfotHTJyB2Vw3wLKUHrvCufXhJ8xRJFB5Q5Ng4I1VhKVEVdAqgQiFRmtuGumR2sNFvRBKLI_oZSXun9c/w640-h426/_L4C2701-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcePI7e8rozv3Ztw2qXiohqyLSXBLOb_sDGNFbKtH1conHVvurlHM3ASze9-tDa0TYM9NxrUQAhIQKknTS2cf9LP6ii3Vk4HXkiSd38oM7Odg_QxIY1-T9CT4cG2rXTKLbtII1vjPz-1RF/s2048/B4B63F98-966C-4085-A718-1559F4CD674D+%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcePI7e8rozv3Ztw2qXiohqyLSXBLOb_sDGNFbKtH1conHVvurlHM3ASze9-tDa0TYM9NxrUQAhIQKknTS2cf9LP6ii3Vk4HXkiSd38oM7Odg_QxIY1-T9CT4cG2rXTKLbtII1vjPz-1RF/w640-h480/B4B63F98-966C-4085-A718-1559F4CD674D+%25281%2529.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike taking a break in the Nautilus before hiking out</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Friday morning it was off to the North Rim again, this time to see it from the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/tuweep.htm" target="_blank">Toroweap Overlook</a> in the Tuweep section. To get there we drove through a remote part of the Grand Canyon Parashant National Monument. The unpaved road portion of about 60 miles each way was a relatively easy drive, but became more difficult, requiring high-clearance and 4x4 as we approached the last 2-3 miles to the edge of the canyon.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81VLxZ4qvJueFjAtckHMIDwY9S0nA3n1l8tFGqFMekpI8gOikgOvOwDYj-jZw7eiExImjVD0rY4szzHLTKSwk5v0PWU2GAl1vu65uF7nnAjxQKugcd3i9_X32WzbC9SaGQVqXbRJsrmN0/s1522/Toroweap+map.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1420" data-original-width="1522" height="598" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81VLxZ4qvJueFjAtckHMIDwY9S0nA3n1l8tFGqFMekpI8gOikgOvOwDYj-jZw7eiExImjVD0rY4szzHLTKSwk5v0PWU2GAl1vu65uF7nnAjxQKugcd3i9_X32WzbC9SaGQVqXbRJsrmN0/w640-h598/Toroweap+map.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuCnqTPSu5ObJRs5rwphxusGdvhFJcVvDefc5hqnAw9rZHHuS1U4j0cxAqqs6CTVthwhAzbBMgzXYfnSdS5dyqoPQ5vQHcCC91ThYJt5qOlj33bSK5C25rSzk-Nj9J6cMO606cV6wmNJ_/s2048/E74A562D-A0BF-449B-9F95-8EE822E6A4E2.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuCnqTPSu5ObJRs5rwphxusGdvhFJcVvDefc5hqnAw9rZHHuS1U4j0cxAqqs6CTVthwhAzbBMgzXYfnSdS5dyqoPQ5vQHcCC91ThYJt5qOlj33bSK5C25rSzk-Nj9J6cMO606cV6wmNJ_/w640-h360/E74A562D-A0BF-449B-9F95-8EE822E6A4E2.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "road" to Toroweap</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Arriving at 9:30AM, incredibly, we had Toroweap to ourselves all morning! There is a lot of red rock to explore around this beautiful area of the rim and we appreciated the solitude as we took it all in.</div><div> </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPXMv4nwwztn1gFnJLJHMEAKIepX4zNGcYy5oR0gEaZulEd1omQePXblsjq7trvtZKnI6_yctkpLv0nKf2L3Q4PvzUXZ02II4uh994UZAg1LEYyVg6xc9iLR34Lnzs4Zu9GQvx78PorLK/s2048/922E000A-5751-4685-B17A-01A408F38B8F.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPXMv4nwwztn1gFnJLJHMEAKIepX4zNGcYy5oR0gEaZulEd1omQePXblsjq7trvtZKnI6_yctkpLv0nKf2L3Q4PvzUXZ02II4uh994UZAg1LEYyVg6xc9iLR34Lnzs4Zu9GQvx78PorLK/w640-h480/922E000A-5751-4685-B17A-01A408F38B8F.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first view from the Toroweap viewpoint, looking mostly southwest</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazlnJMlghgaO3JBSUsDIUheLqLi-m6jUu33l2QHrgt-tjvWTPIYnwBDh1SaEUvVUfdx3qjMlwCFKKWR_8UmkeIWMqtjmcQFD-bs1Hhaee-PcUlIbeNR1K6Ksht5l36XNKhLe0YVkL9LJ_/s2048/_L4C2800-HDR-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazlnJMlghgaO3JBSUsDIUheLqLi-m6jUu33l2QHrgt-tjvWTPIYnwBDh1SaEUvVUfdx3qjMlwCFKKWR_8UmkeIWMqtjmcQFD-bs1Hhaee-PcUlIbeNR1K6Ksht5l36XNKhLe0YVkL9LJ_/w426-h640/_L4C2800-HDR-2k.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View to the southeast from the canyon rim; it's 3,000' down to the Colorado River</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXP9eJfq1axi0DNDPvLjbDHD0wvSzZD49Qi7D6qlCcK4MJLvQwoJQcA159L7k-T3svu-3OT2lF_RGBkuhCqzVIHph8o2xtc5ptttIarXoSOquXpkJjSnWHX7tpqOxzzEDbjvCuYig52Ud/s2048/_L4C2860-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXP9eJfq1axi0DNDPvLjbDHD0wvSzZD49Qi7D6qlCcK4MJLvQwoJQcA159L7k-T3svu-3OT2lF_RGBkuhCqzVIHph8o2xtc5ptttIarXoSOquXpkJjSnWHX7tpqOxzzEDbjvCuYig52Ud/w640-h427/_L4C2860-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thousands of feet below we could see several rafts on the river (bottom center)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUtU0CXchkdgHAGrEyFD5Zj2Vo1w_au7e8LX7lKYGkAeRjsGpTkfAPBCAJg9L38pOepZor_LoA8EQ9EjPuW4eRyL0rivAu67pZIbpbp1n8d-5V_RvqlMU_rYotSvb7Vp0xi04NdcaxFVM/s2048/_L4C2861-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUtU0CXchkdgHAGrEyFD5Zj2Vo1w_au7e8LX7lKYGkAeRjsGpTkfAPBCAJg9L38pOepZor_LoA8EQ9EjPuW4eRyL0rivAu67pZIbpbp1n8d-5V_RvqlMU_rYotSvb7Vp0xi04NdcaxFVM/w640-h426/_L4C2861-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We enjoyed nearly 2 miles of hiking along the rim on the Saddle Horse Loop Trail</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>As we were preparing to head back, a group of side-by-sides and another group on horseback were arriving. We stopped at the remote ranger station in Tuweep on our way out and visited with the ranger. While we were talking with her, a census taker driving a sedan showed up to count the single person, a full-time NPS ranger who lives there. After taking the census info, he asked her for help in fixing a flat he had driving over 60 miles on a rough dirt road. </div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLt9Ys-gyf2fAwMTXuwFLIJ9a8SZ8At4E9YPzDoUI7zdA0R3UFQM1Z_k5aSLhR7NUoWK3dy5puhggjrCbvkm02Lvi5MIjIDzBJgBjoTp2AiST-ET7cY4yYhYJZw_tlS3k4_4s_IK9H26D5/s2048/IMG_9673+%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLt9Ys-gyf2fAwMTXuwFLIJ9a8SZ8At4E9YPzDoUI7zdA0R3UFQM1Z_k5aSLhR7NUoWK3dy5puhggjrCbvkm02Lvi5MIjIDzBJgBjoTp2AiST-ET7cY4yYhYJZw_tlS3k4_4s_IK9H26D5/w640-h480/IMG_9673+%25281%2529.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stopping at the very remote Tuweep Ranger Station, 16 miles from the Toroweap overlook</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVj3LD2DDdfp1xc2O5oxMaDZyxZGQlV8ADjx7r8r04pKJCMiXW44nIkaquqX7bnVCD1xagFCcP5ehb4ximabLCpxI8YdPaguUcx5MM_bohOrYkYn3zwELtg2etPpZcSSeWeyYVU4QLne6i/s2048/B4E1CE68-8A64-4DBF-9786-C3A647172631.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVj3LD2DDdfp1xc2O5oxMaDZyxZGQlV8ADjx7r8r04pKJCMiXW44nIkaquqX7bnVCD1xagFCcP5ehb4ximabLCpxI8YdPaguUcx5MM_bohOrYkYn3zwELtg2etPpZcSSeWeyYVU4QLne6i/w640-h480/B4E1CE68-8A64-4DBF-9786-C3A647172631.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There couldn't be more than half a dozen people in this metropolitan area... :-)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisolC-FS52P-dww5qc9VDYakRzJMgWVJWvD03BrLxHAdCmQmxESA7Z7bCKRlyvh0s00o3ye3m8CnLGDX_ebEkVPLgJ-DYc5AWuZ3Ex_l4NYXtmJTMwOORuikrN5feAlZ8tOlKP2VQfWPM-/s2048/53D566E2-2669-4D47-944A-6455C7ABFD36.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisolC-FS52P-dww5qc9VDYakRzJMgWVJWvD03BrLxHAdCmQmxESA7Z7bCKRlyvh0s00o3ye3m8CnLGDX_ebEkVPLgJ-DYc5AWuZ3Ex_l4NYXtmJTMwOORuikrN5feAlZ8tOlKP2VQfWPM-/w640-h480/53D566E2-2669-4D47-944A-6455C7ABFD36.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The census taker getting info from the Tuweep seasonal volunteer ranger</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br />After the long bumpy ride back to Kanab, we walked from our hotel to a BBQ food truck for dinner, followed by ice cream cones and called it a day.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.justournature.com/2020/10/southern-utah-grand-canyon-north-rim_4.html">Click here to read Part III</a> of this trip...</div>Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-90961604732904104302020-09-29T22:00:00.004-07:002020-12-17T10:53:21.726-07:00Southern Utah & Slot Canyons (Sep 28 - 29, 2020)This was our first big trip since the pandemic started, and we were excited to be visiting old and new places in the southwest again. We took our 4Runner "Moby" on the trip, because of several 4x4 off road drives we planned to do. <br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2gAldUFV5GilpZsdI4qkvWu9Mx4gIo78DcUKM3rXz4rtre3VJUi4w88et6BQwpd6tQWesjhdtGuX446GfsGUzxK-sX_aaDcUi-T4auRZS_MZ_2kgqd233-gh-fmyoSD0_0kGaicWFJGv/s2048/IMG_4379.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2gAldUFV5GilpZsdI4qkvWu9Mx4gIo78DcUKM3rXz4rtre3VJUi4w88et6BQwpd6tQWesjhdtGuX446GfsGUzxK-sX_aaDcUi-T4auRZS_MZ_2kgqd233-gh-fmyoSD0_0kGaicWFJGv/w640-h360/IMG_4379.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moby, our 2017 4Runner</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div><br /></div><div>We started our trip on Mike's birthday, and we soon found ourselves in the recently burned Glenwood Canyon, east of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. It was sad to see the impact of Grizzly Creek fire, which had closed this stretch of I-70 for more than two weeks. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNl3ookbQtO3m3k2SwBq1XAD9mHKRBBRGuL_xJXISQMgfhxPxgur1Zn8_EJV-uXpniCEQt4fR4tB9dIqbtXxPt5v1VHe3d63KF6NaZVC0OGaZqA7dnTBGJoNXww1ctpp1VBqNtIJMG4RF/s2048/671A7F3C-C454-47CE-8341-CD89502F76D1.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNl3ookbQtO3m3k2SwBq1XAD9mHKRBBRGuL_xJXISQMgfhxPxgur1Zn8_EJV-uXpniCEQt4fR4tB9dIqbtXxPt5v1VHe3d63KF6NaZVC0OGaZqA7dnTBGJoNXww1ctpp1VBqNtIJMG4RF/w640-h360/671A7F3C-C454-47CE-8341-CD89502F76D1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The burned landscape in Glenwood Canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Our drive included the beautifully scenic areas between Torrey and Boulder, Utah, on Highway 12. We even managed to catch some fall color from the stands of aspen along the way. <br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBVI4v3oeqWonffMkSmFIOJNyR3sdCNgos8R-n7T-qyiuaQQA1DDDp5hWZk3tJgIAXJsePe6es-p1l5-lVxwhS1YP_2X0ILgAvlKtiirhRXRP5DNBPBHEE8mVTrUWQfmHepHbKZ2Wr7iG9/s2048/_L4C2062-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBVI4v3oeqWonffMkSmFIOJNyR3sdCNgos8R-n7T-qyiuaQQA1DDDp5hWZk3tJgIAXJsePe6es-p1l5-lVxwhS1YP_2X0ILgAvlKtiirhRXRP5DNBPBHEE8mVTrUWQfmHepHbKZ2Wr7iG9/w640-h360/_L4C2062-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views from the Larb Hollow Overlook</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2H5QR-2zCV4GzsLfMnGfd2DFpvApMO68Zuw0jhenRHPs-u1MqB43Xnfb_-8wtr0klrrfLVHrLn1aZDU00KTP0Uw-Tlf6DhPNutwwFV2epON5CrJhGexKXIl6EimUVHjuCDo5RLfJ1Bai2/s2048/_L4C2066-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2H5QR-2zCV4GzsLfMnGfd2DFpvApMO68Zuw0jhenRHPs-u1MqB43Xnfb_-8wtr0klrrfLVHrLn1aZDU00KTP0Uw-Tlf6DhPNutwwFV2epON5CrJhGexKXIl6EimUVHjuCDo5RLfJ1Bai2/w640-h360/_L4C2066-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>We also took a scenic off-road detour through the Box Death Hollow Wilderness, southwest of Boulder, Utah, emerging just north of Escalante. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HyFLz65DWV0EoTrpLdsQDz_9yyO7htEep8nX5XP4DdwfSm1fCsrxVf7H3xs0r3aH-WKDESTqug771UU_lt3TR_kOsgZifYs36Mo-OJHjY3dJEbVhuVhtjghSgunBxIOhFsozyZQZ8ANq/s2048/_L4C2068-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HyFLz65DWV0EoTrpLdsQDz_9yyO7htEep8nX5XP4DdwfSm1fCsrxVf7H3xs0r3aH-WKDESTqug771UU_lt3TR_kOsgZifYs36Mo-OJHjY3dJEbVhuVhtjghSgunBxIOhFsozyZQZ8ANq/w640-h426/_L4C2068-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Susan taking in a viewpoint in Box Death Hollow Wilderness</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxTNzfL0rNtMThVLIbea9ea8V58VMcxl0h8PgeoFfIS3F-s839VysfXYR-66i_5I414yhGpTGcJLJ9apuzTgAqONQ1ik9680Vi2eKnBhxHPhlYgJNfmofwZSfXVHar5CyKQ8qJ6iDuQBa/s2048/_L4C2073-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxTNzfL0rNtMThVLIbea9ea8V58VMcxl0h8PgeoFfIS3F-s839VysfXYR-66i_5I414yhGpTGcJLJ9apuzTgAqONQ1ik9680Vi2eKnBhxHPhlYgJNfmofwZSfXVHar5CyKQ8qJ6iDuQBa/w640-h426/_L4C2073-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>We stayed at the very nice Canyon Country Lodge in Escalante, which we'd stayed at once before when it had just recently opened. Because of the pandemic, we got takeout from the grill at the hotel, and ate in our room. </div><div><br /></div><div>Early the next morning took the hour long drive on the very rough Hole-in-the-Rock Road to the Lower Dry Fork trailhead, our starting point for Peek-a-Boo and Spooky slot canyons. These slot canyons are in the Scorpion Wilderness Study area, part of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcD0jwERcnLPd5YTUk5wHnaurHufUHCuXqh7AmTF3LSwBvCNFIeamXnZZDhSx81f25YwK1rPJ3xbe8c_SWj4hGuRMtCvekRbZu5L4CdjaOxbgTqQRuFud8kMfyKs_U5HI-VxkMi_1c5oNh/s2048/3ECEA1A9-6138-4877-B9D4-A95E224C6A87.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcD0jwERcnLPd5YTUk5wHnaurHufUHCuXqh7AmTF3LSwBvCNFIeamXnZZDhSx81f25YwK1rPJ3xbe8c_SWj4hGuRMtCvekRbZu5L4CdjaOxbgTqQRuFud8kMfyKs_U5HI-VxkMi_1c5oNh/w640-h360/3ECEA1A9-6138-4877-B9D4-A95E224C6A87.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A smoother section of the teeth-rattling Hole-in-the-Rock Road</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ijzj8wD7Cgjssus5HjLz7bJ3a4rVQr7jKT9Cze-l41EfInok5SnOn7JkveYhaEGyDDmFevIAmXrmyj_W9IbTLE47ozYsWaQ5mKcUzdHTrE51PMhwHPYuRpoewj2ihnzwiZd5m4vudn6_/s2048/IMG_9540.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1879" data-original-width="2048" height="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ijzj8wD7Cgjssus5HjLz7bJ3a4rVQr7jKT9Cze-l41EfInok5SnOn7JkveYhaEGyDDmFevIAmXrmyj_W9IbTLE47ozYsWaQ5mKcUzdHTrE51PMhwHPYuRpoewj2ihnzwiZd5m4vudn6_/w640-h588/IMG_9540.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Lower Dry Fork trailhead</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>After signing the register at the trailhead at about 9:15am, our hike to Peek-a-Boo began on a rim trail, with nice views down to a wash where the slot canyon began, though we didn't spot the entrance until we were hiking back out. </div><div><br /></div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEt257u9lKLqfcrVnfBn8NbdCuer5z9NN_uY5SWoC13tdoMNpNW3jMMSddLR8LdLu7_Anss7oMEJBqZ7xHkk2GBOuYxmiVP341xBpDdrSWiCVK3p7igoa9TuEeb2V-Pvz-Dm6Gi2RqBRtn/s2048/_L4C2075-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEt257u9lKLqfcrVnfBn8NbdCuer5z9NN_uY5SWoC13tdoMNpNW3jMMSddLR8LdLu7_Anss7oMEJBqZ7xHkk2GBOuYxmiVP341xBpDdrSWiCVK3p7igoa9TuEeb2V-Pvz-Dm6Gi2RqBRtn/w640-h400/_L4C2075-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan, along the rim portion of the trail to Peek-a-Boo slot canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6UubeciZlZHVi3Jnu-MrTNuukvI3kxaHSn6nUPCQKzaKfP-9qm3m8b1d5TKqb2Eg6TZXBVDPc57BAY8g4hFc4-F4DYXubg6nv84vuG-DID-IKWCozXn9hQbE3kTcJeWA9GH_4VJdLmytM/s2048/_L4C2077-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6UubeciZlZHVi3Jnu-MrTNuukvI3kxaHSn6nUPCQKzaKfP-9qm3m8b1d5TKqb2Eg6TZXBVDPc57BAY8g4hFc4-F4DYXubg6nv84vuG-DID-IKWCozXn9hQbE3kTcJeWA9GH_4VJdLmytM/w640-h400/_L4C2077-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the wash below, with entrance to Peek-a-Boo at left and Spooky to the right</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bZ4Hrd51tYRwH1EXLz9jXPriu8uzVmAbqgKNA_ucSKBPCy8ZkK5JGacUaQHiByLPGbNiW5eKN8onAmfVDLq3VTqiNo2P-WM3E6wrl6GRmjXRchoPOx7ErpkntvCGwo9jHV9STpArT_9_/s2048/_L4C2079-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bZ4Hrd51tYRwH1EXLz9jXPriu8uzVmAbqgKNA_ucSKBPCy8ZkK5JGacUaQHiByLPGbNiW5eKN8onAmfVDLq3VTqiNo2P-WM3E6wrl6GRmjXRchoPOx7ErpkntvCGwo9jHV9STpArT_9_/w640-h426/_L4C2079-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After dropping down a few hundred feet from the rim, Susan enjoys the shade of a red rock fin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Just before the entrance to Peek-a-Boo, we saw another interesting slot canyon, the Dry Fork Narrows, off to the left, so we explored a little ways in. This canyon was the other trail to access the slot canyons from the Upper Dry Fork trailhead and would also have made an interesting hike. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46AiCrRHEW9HC0dDCtM5cYB-Vdw9Igje_Z54yr4QiqEtGrJagXD7mQZyqa8QMM87qye_DHPyC0NG4KQAUlsjvR6OKTp3Mt-ptZ3RyLJdr53zavBXdt1VKqhtb0kZETag9QxZuV675bzpo/s2048/FC2792C8-E6B6-443E-872E-7B7C3493BC9F.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46AiCrRHEW9HC0dDCtM5cYB-Vdw9Igje_Z54yr4QiqEtGrJagXD7mQZyqa8QMM87qye_DHPyC0NG4KQAUlsjvR6OKTp3Mt-ptZ3RyLJdr53zavBXdt1VKqhtb0kZETag9QxZuV675bzpo/w480-h640/FC2792C8-E6B6-443E-872E-7B7C3493BC9F.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to Dry Fork Narrows slot canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyj43abmAofgh5f9SXVkpfkCJmMpq1bXaRuuboMhn9eRqWtHr9Bac-UgUfQSliVw1FEFcwkMgVVrs-ZLvfxWu2kTKxcKFP9PFojrEZOH6ZhkhnymbSHKsyXSda1B9WCkebmrW9sUkFUsRz/s2048/FCCB4489-B0AE-4E72-A173-013A7CB50C12.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyj43abmAofgh5f9SXVkpfkCJmMpq1bXaRuuboMhn9eRqWtHr9Bac-UgUfQSliVw1FEFcwkMgVVrs-ZLvfxWu2kTKxcKFP9PFojrEZOH6ZhkhnymbSHKsyXSda1B9WCkebmrW9sUkFUsRz/w480-h640/FCCB4489-B0AE-4E72-A173-013A7CB50C12.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike in Dry Fork Narrows, just before turning back to go to Peek-a-Boo</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br /></div><div>Just a short distance later we knew we had arrived at Peek-a-Boo, as a group of people were waiting their turn to ascend the tricky entrance. But no complaints about crowds this time as Susan appreciated getting a hand from another hiker. It turned out that a hiking club from Grand Junction, Colorado, was the group of around 20 people ahead of us. Their group leader had experience with this hike, which turned out to be very helpful. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8im1KfBau52s8GbBGvCLaB3WDoiNgHYDNyadfClgS-qZA6yOEXW_xSS3fM82kKnwOi-A8hBMytL4Y7xITsoOEP-c3JQgQTH6f2AUAkNYc-bSFs91sw54H7heWbCK2xMDHFm0gLJbILIR/s2048/_L4C2089-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8im1KfBau52s8GbBGvCLaB3WDoiNgHYDNyadfClgS-qZA6yOEXW_xSS3fM82kKnwOi-A8hBMytL4Y7xITsoOEP-c3JQgQTH6f2AUAkNYc-bSFs91sw54H7heWbCK2xMDHFm0gLJbILIR/w480-h640/_L4C2089-2k.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The human traffic jam where the trail ascends up into Peek-a-Boo slot canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkwXKaV5f-JFPIfAos9yjs4f3AlMm4NTcK9hU_F6nuiN8y95kCAPs4jmYgw3ew3NeFx7a7yHPC_Qtv8lfvoZ3dkpEHJ_4ICjPdW8RiLptLR7i9z15XRQDTG-4e_fA2QayLZZoA401jLeZ/s2048/IMG_9552.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkwXKaV5f-JFPIfAos9yjs4f3AlMm4NTcK9hU_F6nuiN8y95kCAPs4jmYgw3ew3NeFx7a7yHPC_Qtv8lfvoZ3dkpEHJ_4ICjPdW8RiLptLR7i9z15XRQDTG-4e_fA2QayLZZoA401jLeZ/w480-h640/IMG_9552.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the slot, there were friendly faces and helping hands when needed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Although we had our "big camera" (the DSLR) with us, the interior of the slot canyon was too crowded and too narrow to use it, plus we needed our hands to negotiate, so it went into the pack, and our iPhones became our main cameras. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7z1rlWnu7ImBILPyYTvxZ7ime5tqy72wE1rtkKqroWWkSw1tPRS-ld5HoxLnx3IcPixFEcJwDzzswHTAhH4XJrAWA78swE0lJcwNsjb012pP7ReCrlrFEh5j-j2tNoa7bU6Sxmo71Hrc/s2048/_L4C2090-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7z1rlWnu7ImBILPyYTvxZ7ime5tqy72wE1rtkKqroWWkSw1tPRS-ld5HoxLnx3IcPixFEcJwDzzswHTAhH4XJrAWA78swE0lJcwNsjb012pP7ReCrlrFEh5j-j2tNoa7bU6Sxmo71Hrc/w480-h640/_L4C2090-2k.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last picture with the "big camera" before going deep into Peek-a-boo</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghXUaIoeMoDDhVSlvM2-WDpXuE3cnNrUnmWRMH7u5qhybrkkxB7yS7l3BjfC2n0Ouw4H0ssaDvreUUtyuzmsfUTMrAoMYEF1Bk5CD763kfu_We4nZ5yYn3ryEm4Q5iOdKBiRMPmNPdQTfd/s2048/FullSizeRender.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghXUaIoeMoDDhVSlvM2-WDpXuE3cnNrUnmWRMH7u5qhybrkkxB7yS7l3BjfC2n0Ouw4H0ssaDvreUUtyuzmsfUTMrAoMYEF1Bk5CD763kfu_We4nZ5yYn3ryEm4Q5iOdKBiRMPmNPdQTfd/w480-h640/FullSizeRender.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWt_SArkyShDM7en7tnln1EFyZ6lMjBHVl2p-dZYJpjxGkHOO1Mmquyaqcm3TcgxEvSx7XQGrTMGMF9eiefCBXJtz04Yb4w3mRwpRkN7t6-ob1mmnxV4OYwBO-rPqfFbmzkWHy1jpO9h9/s2048/IMG_9557.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWt_SArkyShDM7en7tnln1EFyZ6lMjBHVl2p-dZYJpjxGkHOO1Mmquyaqcm3TcgxEvSx7XQGrTMGMF9eiefCBXJtz04Yb4w3mRwpRkN7t6-ob1mmnxV4OYwBO-rPqfFbmzkWHy1jpO9h9/w480-h640/IMG_9557.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYKBO_Nu_GS4isBKIva3xISoaH9C-bD5oCyqD9VX0x0Ikpu_QZZxGinA8Tw26wYbcfghB0jqKyFUKvv1oBKPyfjh9ERiChfaTO1-Wgnb5MUyPuB62Mb4Ly8JRsnNkDnVDC0IYKB_KSEgds/s2048/35828420-D59F-4DAB-8729-DC890DDE286F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYKBO_Nu_GS4isBKIva3xISoaH9C-bD5oCyqD9VX0x0Ikpu_QZZxGinA8Tw26wYbcfghB0jqKyFUKvv1oBKPyfjh9ERiChfaTO1-Wgnb5MUyPuB62Mb4Ly8JRsnNkDnVDC0IYKB_KSEgds/w480-h640/35828420-D59F-4DAB-8729-DC890DDE286F.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6m1bX7GZn2n4Tm9c1yOjKCUjM1iqM4-kLc5oc8s5Wqhceo_4V64hbX6uaOwCb5uHKAin4zYOWkDVvu_sLPTBfJ_iXUJLPffw3ICUIOGf13c7YBj9BSbMO3LGSzuBeAbzl8oLAoS9FtbeP/s2048/66A702F1-86AC-4C7B-80DC-49FEE498DB91.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6m1bX7GZn2n4Tm9c1yOjKCUjM1iqM4-kLc5oc8s5Wqhceo_4V64hbX6uaOwCb5uHKAin4zYOWkDVvu_sLPTBfJ_iXUJLPffw3ICUIOGf13c7YBj9BSbMO3LGSzuBeAbzl8oLAoS9FtbeP/w640-h480/66A702F1-86AC-4C7B-80DC-49FEE498DB91.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming back up out of Peek-a-boo slot canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We emerged from Peek-a-boo about 10:45am and hiked a short distance around to the entrance of Spooky, the narrowest slot canyon we have ever hiked. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCU8uOE5AaIgGs7fthI4lfj2tt4T_gAk9PrqZgHkJ6yhTp4GeB_P5-fD2KOe0d0qnlD9_bvaLXtNoSXjvWj4KxfId_V7s0lSb9VulIy1eAOGBcHA4S7e-dl73TsA5z1XajO97Qe4MzpHdb/s2048/IMG_9562.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCU8uOE5AaIgGs7fthI4lfj2tt4T_gAk9PrqZgHkJ6yhTp4GeB_P5-fD2KOe0d0qnlD9_bvaLXtNoSXjvWj4KxfId_V7s0lSb9VulIy1eAOGBcHA4S7e-dl73TsA5z1XajO97Qe4MzpHdb/w640-h480/IMG_9562.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking in the open area between the two slot canyons</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>There were several slightly technical sections of Spooky, and it was helpful to have other hikers to advise on the best way through, though we're sure we could've done it on our own. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXkRquWjpiwgvN-E_Zu-stiV6MxOCGGbWXv-6-XIueuaYzZ0R5NCAQzGz1KrieRHW5kuh3N0IRgHD-cdJ4G3fIT3MDqSfDyJK0etZGvy6jCOFfb55RcLnMw1GzGpoo_9QfYJrMBFNq0AU/s2048/IMG_9563.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXkRquWjpiwgvN-E_Zu-stiV6MxOCGGbWXv-6-XIueuaYzZ0R5NCAQzGz1KrieRHW5kuh3N0IRgHD-cdJ4G3fIT3MDqSfDyJK0etZGvy6jCOFfb55RcLnMw1GzGpoo_9QfYJrMBFNq0AU/w480-h640/IMG_9563.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dropping down into Spooky</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXYF4AkXm1WstW7Jh8M_uag1wQfyscI1bdhnUXt_UaWIPFggFl6UqZLRQ5QUHvdqazA8TpMud4X8LQqXNWEBlzmQl5iqNttJHKUE3xq3RyzV8SMQu1VZKTru3AfOSHqSrof3SqHXd_OMu/s2048/IMG_9564.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXYF4AkXm1WstW7Jh8M_uag1wQfyscI1bdhnUXt_UaWIPFggFl6UqZLRQ5QUHvdqazA8TpMud4X8LQqXNWEBlzmQl5iqNttJHKUE3xq3RyzV8SMQu1VZKTru3AfOSHqSrof3SqHXd_OMu/w480-h640/IMG_9564.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Narrow section of Spooky</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-VTe2i0p-ROCh30L6cinzkNfebILaNVqgxpSnE_TO1pPLs_hDIFufQTRyL0A3i4e1w1eWo1VBffqbVABwj6VXdTGJ8mSjTR3nhlPswWQ2pADDHOnLLDtAvYcy9ksl8ZZ7nXPIxezEUbGf/s2048/IMG_9565.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-VTe2i0p-ROCh30L6cinzkNfebILaNVqgxpSnE_TO1pPLs_hDIFufQTRyL0A3i4e1w1eWo1VBffqbVABwj6VXdTGJ8mSjTR3nhlPswWQ2pADDHOnLLDtAvYcy9ksl8ZZ7nXPIxezEUbGf/w640-h640/IMG_9565.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dead bat was on a shelf on the canyon wall</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFw7Owtg4pepUtHcJniwY3z_lICp67thEHbwnY8uxCCNhd2ke_tgvlb15L3kJiFcdlwQwtu2v8EL7BrP2SlSgI0ieICMEADDGlYpc2ZeRvDrE_dYgaqlYVOvZkxaJ8bc2tNi6BEwLx_rW/s2048/FullSizeRender+%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFw7Owtg4pepUtHcJniwY3z_lICp67thEHbwnY8uxCCNhd2ke_tgvlb15L3kJiFcdlwQwtu2v8EL7BrP2SlSgI0ieICMEADDGlYpc2ZeRvDrE_dYgaqlYVOvZkxaJ8bc2tNi6BEwLx_rW/w640-h480/FullSizeRender+%25281%2529.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC28kJlrLRzds2aF99nKmxD17SQ6mPW-ZXUaYRJA7NITKN-gCUQcmhLKO6P8IBxuG1mWsT7x0v3LBjcmM6JL9aDqsVudlvfcW1GLG84CFOynd1Xtxc9O-6PrTG6sl2cZE0cVZyoAY6qs1N/s2048/IMG_9572.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC28kJlrLRzds2aF99nKmxD17SQ6mPW-ZXUaYRJA7NITKN-gCUQcmhLKO6P8IBxuG1mWsT7x0v3LBjcmM6JL9aDqsVudlvfcW1GLG84CFOynd1Xtxc9O-6PrTG6sl2cZE0cVZyoAY6qs1N/w480-h640/IMG_9572.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan dropping down on a rope left in the canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div>We haven't heard why the Spooky slot canyon was named Spooky, but it could've been because of several very narrow sections that would be a problem for a large person or someone who was claustrophobic. Mike isn't claustrophobic at all, but at one very narrow section, he had to remove his back, turn sideways, and even then the rock walls were so narrow that he had to exhale completely to allow his upper chest to squeeze through (though he could've got down on all fours to crawl on the wider floor of the canyon). </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZG5UzfPpF_SmE0KZFpzWmsp-EIFQJlUX64ugH4wjX4dkj1JISvBSzIjYv9DcwELFfdqQG-_2MteQxQNF_RzdSX0E2Ys8F2sGqcilBheMT5YWXK3hiKSdXLocng1VYcnUvPHoBe9K00We/s2048/IMG_9573.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZG5UzfPpF_SmE0KZFpzWmsp-EIFQJlUX64ugH4wjX4dkj1JISvBSzIjYv9DcwELFfdqQG-_2MteQxQNF_RzdSX0E2Ys8F2sGqcilBheMT5YWXK3hiKSdXLocng1VYcnUvPHoBe9K00We/w480-h640/IMG_9573.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hiker behind Mike; the floor of the canyon here was barely the width of his boot</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQcsqJVWvkhMjLiGaBHcewaam190lyFixxJokAJkOSDc3KXfn1dfIro0Ty_TRKtIoIG-R56wa00rA-5tiFqlniVyd_bUNwBsKpb79HGRhz97GcHO7I6PYCiakMuLB6X0M8SeT04AfCVyE/s2048/IMG_9582.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQcsqJVWvkhMjLiGaBHcewaam190lyFixxJokAJkOSDc3KXfn1dfIro0Ty_TRKtIoIG-R56wa00rA-5tiFqlniVyd_bUNwBsKpb79HGRhz97GcHO7I6PYCiakMuLB6X0M8SeT04AfCVyE/w480-h640/IMG_9582.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Several sections were so narrow that our packs barely fit though</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIO4ovwtYkd8JSm0OHD4dSU4sHbGc3_WYo-JEju2SRTQ5L5GP3MMpNAKPqStWk0_MEC1Wd_jMGP1y3oFmQZoR-bi2viAogu1Db4R-K9Pz9fFYLxQx66YXl0kKHa2YRUfs_iad5HVXidpx/s2048/IMG_9584.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1477" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIO4ovwtYkd8JSm0OHD4dSU4sHbGc3_WYo-JEju2SRTQ5L5GP3MMpNAKPqStWk0_MEC1Wd_jMGP1y3oFmQZoR-bi2viAogu1Db4R-K9Pz9fFYLxQx66YXl0kKHa2YRUfs_iad5HVXidpx/w462-h640/IMG_9584.jpeg" width="462" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was cool to see a sunbeam filtering through the dust</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqNBoFHhQKTcZo5cpBuCrdShb5wMjIKlpbrKtrit3aS3MFazDb7hpFXsfl4F05keX_tXhat_ZRQkfgnjUu54zTgku4MUIbLLxeGoZul69fJkq2fWRjtSm1mFVKHRpJOhvaopnwv_HLxGl/s2048/FullSizeRender+%25282%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1762" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqNBoFHhQKTcZo5cpBuCrdShb5wMjIKlpbrKtrit3aS3MFazDb7hpFXsfl4F05keX_tXhat_ZRQkfgnjUu54zTgku4MUIbLLxeGoZul69fJkq2fWRjtSm1mFVKHRpJOhvaopnwv_HLxGl/w550-h640/FullSizeRender+%25282%2529.jpeg" width="550" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike about to get "beamed up" :-) </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67UYV0RNZkvAE3i04WyyCdSq3a0FzsqB00cY6CXZtMHx2ZMbw-EB0SlpclOMI_BjFxfsoRCHA8lVbBkrzyVGGqGFEWz55mi3sRggiKhFhyphenhyphenV96sGRmNeoOSiEx48d2LTkKvY2xTmYzmq0z/s2048/IMG_9588.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67UYV0RNZkvAE3i04WyyCdSq3a0FzsqB00cY6CXZtMHx2ZMbw-EB0SlpclOMI_BjFxfsoRCHA8lVbBkrzyVGGqGFEWz55mi3sRggiKhFhyphenhyphenV96sGRmNeoOSiEx48d2LTkKvY2xTmYzmq0z/w480-h640/IMG_9588.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soon the canyon walls began to widen</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBulAWiSqS33QWR80lmZOzWNioYLqAOr-lHiQl9UKPkOZ8zJShJruVkaoGJLlQbv8CcfeEQwCSK3flNKzkCGKC6ijq-GPh_l1KiH3dwb93V7PZ2Xs-mA8DBvPXSV7pXXPsyHcRJmMFPZIV/s2048/IMG_9589.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBulAWiSqS33QWR80lmZOzWNioYLqAOr-lHiQl9UKPkOZ8zJShJruVkaoGJLlQbv8CcfeEQwCSK3flNKzkCGKC6ijq-GPh_l1KiH3dwb93V7PZ2Xs-mA8DBvPXSV7pXXPsyHcRJmMFPZIV/w640-h480/IMG_9589.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And suddenly we were out in the bright sun again :-) </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br /></div><div>The hike out was quite a bit warmer than when we started, and we were happy to find some shade hiking back along the rock fins. For us, 75F seems hot on a hike :-) </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVu_zFvqY5YVagAzWCabAbwN9N_6Bxh4PFBW66GQOu92sDUZHZrqFYkCsxas1eTOu6fS_cr4nhRVfX2_truff9g6wkftS-9dKxVaIYLNYtCyqjkQonrXNeRtER9pTCcJfbu1QLJKKyL7z/s1707/_L4C2080-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1707" data-original-width="1707" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVu_zFvqY5YVagAzWCabAbwN9N_6Bxh4PFBW66GQOu92sDUZHZrqFYkCsxas1eTOu6fS_cr4nhRVfX2_truff9g6wkftS-9dKxVaIYLNYtCyqjkQonrXNeRtER9pTCcJfbu1QLJKKyL7z/w640-h640/_L4C2080-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><div>One thing we learned is that the best practice for this hike was to go "one way" through Peek-a-boo and Spooky clockwise so as to avoid parties and hikers coming from opposite directions in the many narrow sections. Fortunately, we had already decided to go clockwise, but we ran into people turning around to do it "correctly," and on the way out of Spooky, advised another hiker from the Netherlands who was just starting. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjexi_P729YVi3mOes8F_3Db80WWl2WKpzEwD7kUE0At1nPC8T0zUnCjYmhpGlY3akfzhNhJ_ZgSUt4ox91C8JxxmKKgks2MtDRb2Fz2M2ofw3XDCc8rJ60H-570c4TphPJMOxrfkLiX0Hp/s2048/_L4C2091-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjexi_P729YVi3mOes8F_3Db80WWl2WKpzEwD7kUE0At1nPC8T0zUnCjYmhpGlY3akfzhNhJ_ZgSUt4ox91C8JxxmKKgks2MtDRb2Fz2M2ofw3XDCc8rJ60H-570c4TphPJMOxrfkLiX0Hp/w640-h426/_L4C2091-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance of Peek-a-boo viewed from the trail rim;<br />if you zoom in you might be able to see a person climbing up</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>After the hike, we drove back out Hole-in-the-Rock Road to Escalante. From there, we took the very scenic route over Highway 12 past the Powell Point overlook. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlAdvLu-2uUDZPvJ8p0Ah8lbaHN5XtRbwxYyqgfGuVeLTDNjem5mFqn4jUnjj_gfgm2z3oUddE-Se5ljfjsfw-IXhbGwB3GafT0wHjNxqxbxQI1kqqohyYquAfU7tlCvOTXfloZeWU2dC/s2048/_L4C2106-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlAdvLu-2uUDZPvJ8p0Ah8lbaHN5XtRbwxYyqgfGuVeLTDNjem5mFqn4jUnjj_gfgm2z3oUddE-Se5ljfjsfw-IXhbGwB3GafT0wHjNxqxbxQI1kqqohyYquAfU7tlCvOTXfloZeWU2dC/w640-h360/_L4C2106-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Powell Point</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br />Then we drove over to Cannonville to drive down Cottonwood Canyon Road to Highway 89. <a href="https://www.justournature.com/2011/12/scenic-utah-backroads.html" target="_blank">We had driven Cotton Canyon previously</a>, but from the other direction. This is a very scenic road going through some interesting geologic formations. You don't need a 4x4 or high clearance vehicle for this, but it would be impassable when wet (even with a high-clearance 4x4 vehicle). </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZBhrkoxqgQhM26DGSMXcwmHHspGQRu9UHIo2y69_2L5ZLuJnnPPJUjy3Q_KWddbEULLPo0yyZnzFonUR-7Ia8YVqNSZ9RchckfwaIJJbPT3wMH3b9zHIVZmXISXfxAlpYphjsL9Ny22lO/s2048/_L4C2141-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZBhrkoxqgQhM26DGSMXcwmHHspGQRu9UHIo2y69_2L5ZLuJnnPPJUjy3Q_KWddbEULLPo0yyZnzFonUR-7Ia8YVqNSZ9RchckfwaIJJbPT3wMH3b9zHIVZmXISXfxAlpYphjsL9Ny22lO/w640-h360/_L4C2141-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnj6lNvriWAUjeFpbutUtayZKQouH7AuguQ6QEOV6im3K5zt-pD0UDjOSamEdNtUvApbkUeaTE-g3PTJnRPwdoNJhRC-mgIKaDy5PDERxiJWEJyL3cadvg6min05fcXdmpxn7ZGV507hAL/s2048/_L4C2148-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnj6lNvriWAUjeFpbutUtayZKQouH7AuguQ6QEOV6im3K5zt-pD0UDjOSamEdNtUvApbkUeaTE-g3PTJnRPwdoNJhRC-mgIKaDy5PDERxiJWEJyL3cadvg6min05fcXdmpxn7ZGV507hAL/w640-h426/_L4C2148-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRH7cXToOY2fnHQh90SrwrRVml1NuPGhs1X0BhUXbwDNduKT2VPd-F4GUZVWcD_JwpSseDrg88RT8z4IQkTQCMJNZvsnUCcJPTcHrtX81Y7tEmo8WyxaHYTpM4ePaSLZcwI6qyACtysib0/s2048/_L4C2154-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRH7cXToOY2fnHQh90SrwrRVml1NuPGhs1X0BhUXbwDNduKT2VPd-F4GUZVWcD_JwpSseDrg88RT8z4IQkTQCMJNZvsnUCcJPTcHrtX81Y7tEmo8WyxaHYTpM4ePaSLZcwI6qyACtysib0/w640-h426/_L4C2154-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqYSFMiyiXuwm8PacdFmUNQvdSzpl-SpiK3-4H2HdpHNnSAXY1qWY2sbZvfwZsih3eLz0lrTDIHtYoLHix5qV0FVlucWM3fuqgr9Su2KID8Hsr7pCEqGpzg220VmdCMPU-r26xrWDJHwPT/s2048/_L4C2157-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqYSFMiyiXuwm8PacdFmUNQvdSzpl-SpiK3-4H2HdpHNnSAXY1qWY2sbZvfwZsih3eLz0lrTDIHtYoLHix5qV0FVlucWM3fuqgr9Su2KID8Hsr7pCEqGpzg220VmdCMPU-r26xrWDJHwPT/w640-h426/_L4C2157-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost out of Cottonwood Canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Once back on Highway 89 we went west to Kanab, our basecamp for the next part of our trip -- exploring the North Rim area of the Grand Canyon. </div><div><br /></div><div>The next time we’re around Escalante, hiking to Calf Creek Falls and along the Escalante River to Escalante Natural Arch and Skyline Arch (and the ruins/rock art site) will be on our list. It would also be fun to drive to the end of Hole-in-the-Rock Road. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.justournature.com/2020/10/southern-utah-grand-canyon-north-rim.html">Click here to read Part II</a> of this trip... </div></div>Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-11550427923552415042020-06-05T13:41:00.043-07:002020-12-14T16:28:31.427-07:00Deer Mountain Anniversary Hike (June 5, 2020)<br />Friday, June 5th, 2020, Susan and I hiked to the rocky summit of Deer Mountain, a 10,010’ foot peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. <br /><br />We hit the trail a little before 6am, and it took us a bit over one and a half hours to reach the summit. We were the first people on the trail that day, and on the summit, which we had completely to ourselves for the first 30 minutes or so. <div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocbUyki6PUiiDR42enBBZO1mzenoHN5lpy7TnLuVka3-UipYg-4S6-rTo63uldIgXBfsMuaMl1W9rkLpGYPqAb1kD8F8R81mRrUHpnO0dN39tIEb99SHHwJM4_fGwnSfTDuuIGtMIp9C7/s2048/_L4C0701-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocbUyki6PUiiDR42enBBZO1mzenoHN5lpy7TnLuVka3-UipYg-4S6-rTo63uldIgXBfsMuaMl1W9rkLpGYPqAb1kD8F8R81mRrUHpnO0dN39tIEb99SHHwJM4_fGwnSfTDuuIGtMIp9C7/w640-h400/_L4C0701-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the summit of Deer Mountain<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br />We took our time enjoying the near-panoramic vistas of Estes Park, Moraine Park, Longs Peak, and the mountains of the continental divide. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLQTCGA1C9iC2S04LKKRWrDCC9pkHsKZT8eRgShGsDP9x0LU6wZ4-VJkWd4jI5utYSOEHUvAh9aN6fPxEItCEogdohKBWtFSRQQ3nLhlFSSOqSaKId376O-ZbDo3dMHk57BKCt6iuWUCd/s2048/_L4C0708-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLQTCGA1C9iC2S04LKKRWrDCC9pkHsKZT8eRgShGsDP9x0LU6wZ4-VJkWd4jI5utYSOEHUvAh9aN6fPxEItCEogdohKBWtFSRQQ3nLhlFSSOqSaKId376O-ZbDo3dMHk57BKCt6iuWUCd/w640-h360/_L4C0708-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Chapin, Chiquita, Ypsilon, and Fairchild mountains<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><div><br />But the 6.5 mile hike, with over 1,000’ of gain was much more than “just a hike” for us — it was also how we celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. <br /><br />Susan and I met in early spring of 2002, and our second date was a hike to the top of Deer Mountain. <div><br /></div><div>For us, Deer Mountain is a very special place, as we got married on the summit on Sunday, June 5, 2005.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here’s the story of how that came to be. <br /><br />When we decided to get married, we discussed what we both wanted, and rather than a planning a big complicated wedding with family and friends, we decided on something very personal and private. We decided getting married on Deer Mountain was exactly what we wanted. <br /><br />Fortunately, Colorado is one of two states that allows people to marry themselves, without an officiant or a witness. All you have to do is get a marriage license, decide on a date, exchange your vows, sign the license, and then file it with the county. <br /><br />We got our marriage license on May 31, 2005, but we hadn’t actually set a date. As we discussed it, we decided that since we weren’t inviting anyone we could choose to do the hike and get married “on a nice day”. The first few days after we got the license were rainy, so we just woke up each day and looked at the weather. <br /><br />On Sunday, June 5th, the weather looked great, so we packed our hiking gear and headed into Rocky. It was a beautiful and warm day and we took our time, enjoying the wildflowers, birds, and mule deer along the way. Some mountain bluebirds put on an especially nice show for us.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EP-YIn5t-7iaNSyl-MueRlcCnKov-VYYgm8a2AADGoTraZY3Hg6VmZMzRxiS-GWNREmz9BaudTD2ymgY0Hi93c_teU41xayDgJz7ygNdCjg-KmXNt9CwTNCozdk3GknvtK_n2LUtBTYS/s1438/P6052415-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1438" data-original-width="1438" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EP-YIn5t-7iaNSyl-MueRlcCnKov-VYYgm8a2AADGoTraZY3Hg6VmZMzRxiS-GWNREmz9BaudTD2ymgY0Hi93c_teU41xayDgJz7ygNdCjg-KmXNt9CwTNCozdk3GknvtK_n2LUtBTYS/w640-h640/P6052415-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-vWIaWWRQHwgvkkfUb8aRllddFT14Hd9-yOwNIaBm88QcQUXcOz_Dz13pyK8bbqFaK2D3nU2TKSMT97ritt5bS_yTr2ratRXvr4yRfpt8H7Y9-eNLmIMrgz-jDGvKYm2dp04HF2X9-Y4/s2048/P6052407-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-vWIaWWRQHwgvkkfUb8aRllddFT14Hd9-yOwNIaBm88QcQUXcOz_Dz13pyK8bbqFaK2D3nU2TKSMT97ritt5bS_yTr2ratRXvr4yRfpt8H7Y9-eNLmIMrgz-jDGvKYm2dp04HF2X9-Y4/w640-h360/P6052407-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mule deer we saw along the trail</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br />When we got to the summit, we found a nice spot to hang out, rested, snacked, and then exchanged our vows, and <i>*poof*</i> we were married! <br /><br />As we were taking pictures and celebrating, we noticed a group of three women, and it turns out I knew one them — Teri, and when we spoke about what we were doing, she was excited for us, and offered to be our "wedding photographer."<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQaVMYC34aijpmPi3dtXxlY8s9sH5Qn2xXH-pkg47YQXYAc46lTqaLpL1F19NUBjJB-4RrzGLueirJ7GvjWmYD55ZDwOFTeas8-GADFfSWJVI5ZYH82uKBQZvYwMb3u1jY7KDMQMwcpz6/s2048/P6052455-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1532" data-original-width="2048" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQaVMYC34aijpmPi3dtXxlY8s9sH5Qn2xXH-pkg47YQXYAc46lTqaLpL1F19NUBjJB-4RrzGLueirJ7GvjWmYD55ZDwOFTeas8-GADFfSWJVI5ZYH82uKBQZvYwMb3u1jY7KDMQMwcpz6/w640-h478/P6052455-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teri (center), who took a few photos of us, and her companions<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br />We didn’t have smartphones or great cameras then, but we take some snapshots and selfies and we recorded a waypoint with the exact time and location on the GPS device we had. <br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qWfP1FIxNAuyEf_AuM2CEtp6l43GL6eSnLR9F2oYTkIyMFTIMQjqIvWinuL732yO9VPseJ72khUXKtlG-3WGHPeWuqXqcoZRNEMk-Umi5uzAREVnhAaUexUUcrh1jc8A2rAKHPvzJhgD/s1586/P6052427-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1586" data-original-width="1586" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qWfP1FIxNAuyEf_AuM2CEtp6l43GL6eSnLR9F2oYTkIyMFTIMQjqIvWinuL732yO9VPseJ72khUXKtlG-3WGHPeWuqXqcoZRNEMk-Umi5uzAREVnhAaUexUUcrh1jc8A2rAKHPvzJhgD/w640-h640/P6052427-2k.jpg" title="GPS location of our marriage :-)" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our wedding's GPS location :-) </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br />We started the hike as unmarried partners, and finished the hike as a married couple. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwY2Q-749vg1J_jL7ChRBWH2QMiVrdqiQHgXsM_L3UW9gJYJKBexv_3KqySPVVQti2Zz9ZXRVFRFZmajH5B-U1po9ecRc-UGn_Rx4dI9HA_b6LHVvAFZhvkTTDSNX_1PC1YwXCE4q3EL6/s2048/P6052438-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1532" data-original-width="2048" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwY2Q-749vg1J_jL7ChRBWH2QMiVrdqiQHgXsM_L3UW9gJYJKBexv_3KqySPVVQti2Zz9ZXRVFRFZmajH5B-U1po9ecRc-UGn_Rx4dI9HA_b6LHVvAFZhvkTTDSNX_1PC1YwXCE4q3EL6/w640-h478/P6052438-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newly married Susan and Mike, with Estes Park in the background</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br />We got back to our car at the trailhead just before 3pm. We went home, cleaned up, and went out for a celebratory dinner at the Dunraven Inn restaurant in Estes Park. <br /><br />Deer Mountain is a prominent and uniquely shaped mountain in the Estes Park area, and we see it nearly every time we go out or into town. And we always enjoy seeing it from many different perspectives on roads and other hiking trails in the area.<br /><br />Since our first hike in 2002, and our marriage there in 2005, we’ve done this hike together 8 other times, including <a href="http://www.justournature.com/2015/02/deer-mountain-winter-hike-feb-8-2015.html" target="_blank">one time in the winter</a>. </div><div><br />Now you know why Deer Mountain is such a dear mountain to us. 🙂💕</div></div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfymHfqOCs6h62XW4VrPUaOElzAio8d-LWGuaJExo-fvqwe_q1O8J46FUvqeXumUi3lWn0J0YkTEh0ZZED215ivPWVL4fHFw7K8IaZV5d0U3rctx0dHYN69z_ZLqypIb7Pz3LrU0-egh5J/s2048/IMG_9044.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfymHfqOCs6h62XW4VrPUaOElzAio8d-LWGuaJExo-fvqwe_q1O8J46FUvqeXumUi3lWn0J0YkTEh0ZZED215ivPWVL4fHFw7K8IaZV5d0U3rctx0dHYN69z_ZLqypIb7Pz3LrU0-egh5J/w640-h480/IMG_9044.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike and Susan on our 15th Anniversary Deer Mountain hike </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com0Deer Mountain, Colorado 80517, USA40.3794283 -105.584723212.069194463821155 -140.74097319999998 68.689662136178839 -70.4284732tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-42234854506751702492020-01-31T11:31:00.503-07:002021-01-03T12:43:45.554-07:00Arizona Trip (Jan 22 - Feb 1, 2020)<div class="separator"><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Every winter we like to visit our aunt in the Catalina Mountains of Tucson, exploring other parts of the state along the way. Some of our favorite stops include the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, hiking in the Chiricahua Mountains and Sedona, watching the Sandhill Cranes around Wilcox and exploring the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. This time we decided to make the 2 day drive out without any stops, and stay in Tucson longer so we could do more visiting with Lois and take in local attractions.<br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Freshly fallen snow made the drive out of Colorado beautiful, but we were looking forward to being warm back in Arizona!</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4w8PX1CrGVYH4QzWndjuHPE3_m_PtzVmGNMiak6DjW_x9Hb-fIic3aECs3O_4DvhPllDWkq-T8UI49gNtBJCJcf7DbHWnDa5eJnD4UTNcrM-ffci2TNK2Ga5rx_ioGsRN9NFGvXTQcoQ/s2048/IMG_0255.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4w8PX1CrGVYH4QzWndjuHPE3_m_PtzVmGNMiak6DjW_x9Hb-fIic3aECs3O_4DvhPllDWkq-T8UI49gNtBJCJcf7DbHWnDa5eJnD4UTNcrM-ffci2TNK2Ga5rx_ioGsRN9NFGvXTQcoQ/w640-h360/IMG_0255.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Collegiate Peaks of Colorado from Highway 285, east of Johnson Village</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br />Susan lived in Tucson in the late 70’s/early 80’s and had fond memories of Sabino Canyon, so was anxious to go back. Before taking a tram tour into the canyon, we decided to do some morning hiking and birdwatching, starting the Visitors Center for the <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coronado/recreation/recarea/?recid=75425" target="_blank">Sabino Canyon Recreation Area</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpd1xWmq5OinfND_G4Ga-iBzPkuZHoAbgGbYpu7l4Z0yPHypRgYLwR56xiyFpxyJgZ5Ksdf2M2b9uh53lx_v__KSJEd79FUbfsC5l6f_iwUmKNxHgmw5whstSnNF7SbKJM9LXaQD0Kri_/s2048/_L4C0376-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpd1xWmq5OinfND_G4Ga-iBzPkuZHoAbgGbYpu7l4Z0yPHypRgYLwR56xiyFpxyJgZ5Ksdf2M2b9uh53lx_v__KSJEd79FUbfsC5l6f_iwUmKNxHgmw5whstSnNF7SbKJM9LXaQD0Kri_/w640-h400/_L4C0376-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along our morning hike near Sabino Canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLIagp4DrmIQ1r9t4GGmKLvIC1rMP44lOLc9-t44iOcbc5bCkTD-Tdk1-dScqM20j2Qw9BiQbCdaduuGnYAkcjo-ee5daundCK6wY4zKP0l8Rvh-2_XqaHOk_noahJYjLr7D6tUFhEYNl/s2048/_L4C0379-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLIagp4DrmIQ1r9t4GGmKLvIC1rMP44lOLc9-t44iOcbc5bCkTD-Tdk1-dScqM20j2Qw9BiQbCdaduuGnYAkcjo-ee5daundCK6wY4zKP0l8Rvh-2_XqaHOk_noahJYjLr7D6tUFhEYNl/w640-h426/_L4C0379-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why did the roadrunner cross the road? </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRIOIBeym6rZdDSv0r6lu6SSjYRI-YdMYENoW3DDS0wn1xiizgYKCMwN3L7NwQObNk8mUbjWOHucxyqMKytGA_kM4wBcEG2bZeaztguRyHNZljdyThMnQrUsX2sMFCDTRa3jkEka_1WC4/s2048/_L4C0385-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRIOIBeym6rZdDSv0r6lu6SSjYRI-YdMYENoW3DDS0wn1xiizgYKCMwN3L7NwQObNk8mUbjWOHucxyqMKytGA_kM4wBcEG2bZeaztguRyHNZljdyThMnQrUsX2sMFCDTRa3jkEka_1WC4/w640-h426/_L4C0385-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curve-billed Thrasher</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoDDKbqmMXjOECYOIYpcN95do3XQln388-raBlj0e8yROD8A8zIly04TzN3RzoI_icvIeHcy16KHbVSY5Uaxpj3ai15NvQW4V7oAHds9OdKKCzZN18LTWGcOIEB3Ll6HyTlzHDp7X1-EL/s2048/IMG_0265.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1488" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoDDKbqmMXjOECYOIYpcN95do3XQln388-raBlj0e8yROD8A8zIly04TzN3RzoI_icvIeHcy16KHbVSY5Uaxpj3ai15NvQW4V7oAHds9OdKKCzZN18LTWGcOIEB3Ll6HyTlzHDp7X1-EL/w464-h640/IMG_0265.jpeg" width="464" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike posing with a barrel cactus</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcCiYUX7vwKv56rURXvAhYa6h8dY2qSpamKQ0QW0lW87ZzkJbOdai_YQyA_a8D44rEhoVlvNG-_Eyn730MVQSWmtOZXC3OXfv95r3akUrs2aejOM95ZbEJTqL-smppy-2mPHOkuPOZjnc/s2011/_L4C0409-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1341" data-original-width="2011" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcCiYUX7vwKv56rURXvAhYa6h8dY2qSpamKQ0QW0lW87ZzkJbOdai_YQyA_a8D44rEhoVlvNG-_Eyn730MVQSWmtOZXC3OXfv95r3akUrs2aejOM95ZbEJTqL-smppy-2mPHOkuPOZjnc/w640-h426/_L4C0409-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cactus Wren in its eponymous habitat</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVrtgx0a77gjt3FGkwYNFNiV5VjB-ZlPKlLE_fg72M_hWtirZyX6dScWNVFcYeT_8Hx3x95OVNn8hgk1V13rxd4XqFSkv76dqwiEpMQD8ypdVbmR4Dv-mJnV2H1FV7wgxfhAwatfx5WpA/s2048/_L4C0415-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVrtgx0a77gjt3FGkwYNFNiV5VjB-ZlPKlLE_fg72M_hWtirZyX6dScWNVFcYeT_8Hx3x95OVNn8hgk1V13rxd4XqFSkv76dqwiEpMQD8ypdVbmR4Dv-mJnV2H1FV7wgxfhAwatfx5WpA/w640-h426/_L4C0415-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Speckled Earless Lizard (we think) catching the early morning sun</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This winter brought a lot of precipitation to the area and the washes were running so high we couldn’t complete our hike without getting our boots filled with water. Fortunately, the tram tours would keep our feet dry. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVaL4J9Dv2disfoH-0gdMc4XwNXuGd_LXneSpjwBIGqsMyNGJFOKMrrlKmDwtPFDJW1wlmk-apWuyJGZLIQBhbJ5DMdqVOdMk8MDZi5o0TTP6D7j42TwtIoPzqOlXiU5nGru-SvIYa2RZ/s2048/_L4C0435-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVaL4J9Dv2disfoH-0gdMc4XwNXuGd_LXneSpjwBIGqsMyNGJFOKMrrlKmDwtPFDJW1wlmk-apWuyJGZLIQBhbJ5DMdqVOdMk8MDZi5o0TTP6D7j42TwtIoPzqOlXiU5nGru-SvIYa2RZ/w640-h426/_L4C0435-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Fortunately, the levels at the water crossings weren't too high for the tours to operate. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktLM4QhyphenhypheneNsRiEiI6UOOSqT1c_fd28-FKfGGSw2DsntEj8VoBmNLafccOUyP62-ChQKxqfdi3LPgm5OTE1XpQeXSfaGCsFYIJdmyYfCu8ZeRulff1rjr9pmKEoANmjBUAy-cIU8voPrLs/s2048/_L4C0424-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktLM4QhyphenhypheneNsRiEiI6UOOSqT1c_fd28-FKfGGSw2DsntEj8VoBmNLafccOUyP62-ChQKxqfdi3LPgm5OTE1XpQeXSfaGCsFYIJdmyYfCu8ZeRulff1rjr9pmKEoANmjBUAy-cIU8voPrLs/w640-h426/_L4C0424-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sabino Canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfGLcyNlCptH4nW40EeiVhKcAlooUzSYfeNeRnFNo-vdoaxSqsszBhVkDkssyucXyqdAEbTF1j_VSZ_h1iA0Lp0YsFIpjwyHsWplbMFCSIOtbBvJdq8q8niPgl5VbS2c2l-ZhF6h9Qkwsb/s2048/_L4C0432-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfGLcyNlCptH4nW40EeiVhKcAlooUzSYfeNeRnFNo-vdoaxSqsszBhVkDkssyucXyqdAEbTF1j_VSZ_h1iA0Lp0YsFIpjwyHsWplbMFCSIOtbBvJdq8q8niPgl5VbS2c2l-ZhF6h9Qkwsb/w640-h426/_L4C0432-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along Sabino Creek in the canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>On Friday we went down to Green Valley to visit the <a href="https://titanmissilemuseum.org/" target="_blank">Titan Missile Museum</a>, a former US Air Force Titan missile launch complex, now open to the public. During Mike's Air Force career, he worked at a Minuteman missile base, and there were many interesting similarities between them. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwZFLH_MRw2NMaaW8cYc9H6gpdvtIGaXWewcmGq1HPTilH8JIXf9m6WNBdCBNoJHmaxfdj8Xnx_7xnbhTZ1O2AnJl7EfXXplMdvXTpwfzJws_n9eDKu4hXQQFM9Aqj5DcG8hFTSW0pfBB/s2048/IMG_0278.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwZFLH_MRw2NMaaW8cYc9H6gpdvtIGaXWewcmGq1HPTilH8JIXf9m6WNBdCBNoJHmaxfdj8Xnx_7xnbhTZ1O2AnJl7EfXXplMdvXTpwfzJws_n9eDKu4hXQQFM9Aqj5DcG8hFTSW0pfBB/w640-h480/IMG_0278.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzHVZIQ5OLUi3JX2DmplbwxfW4UmBpeVadtNLB371hY6bOqjJKuJUd2EPsjfyhA7CqsVud1Em7TmukJkxecSndTU9l7WprZd1bhMINgj18gt_2odgUC63SrT9_FoHco6sIg77aa8KbDLN/s2048/IMG_8712.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzHVZIQ5OLUi3JX2DmplbwxfW4UmBpeVadtNLB371hY6bOqjJKuJUd2EPsjfyhA7CqsVud1Em7TmukJkxecSndTU9l7WprZd1bhMINgj18gt_2odgUC63SrT9_FoHco6sIg77aa8KbDLN/w640-h360/IMG_8712.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gate to the launch complex</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The 45 minute tour, given by a docent, allowed us to explore several areas of the missile complex, including the underground blast door, the launch control center where officers "turned the keys" to launch the missile, and views of the decommissioned missile, the largest land-based missile ever deployed by the US. There were lots of stairs taking us more than 3 stories underground, and we were required to wear hardhats when moving through the complex. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIViot-pX7o9B7i7_CcH2v4ni8DLZBYnOTZ8P0FSnQ-DjhAzA5ryoIz5iDCQtHCcKrXUU2ZneSrVDZFaf3cRx6kZ_AlhosqqpCyMRAPzqTFKTqdB9sU7lieVuHxCI8q9ua_wTpLK4Mmo4/s2048/IMG_8703.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIViot-pX7o9B7i7_CcH2v4ni8DLZBYnOTZ8P0FSnQ-DjhAzA5ryoIz5iDCQtHCcKrXUU2ZneSrVDZFaf3cRx6kZ_AlhosqqpCyMRAPzqTFKTqdB9sU7lieVuHxCI8q9ua_wTpLK4Mmo4/w640-h480/IMG_8703.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the launch center</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>During the tour in the launch control center, Mike was selected to “turn the key” along with the docent. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItOhS-89hn00ApyxseY0KX_oX4xBniHTyfwqHnyAmflPjx-RWUOwnNggQEMv0NA541E7FQpkVFAKeSw5icxlCD4J4X5Jwo5-C4eCLBhitAfGEodtl3oq6BvahDEMFFJW60qiu9tLvZJRS/s2048/IMG_0292.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItOhS-89hn00ApyxseY0KX_oX4xBniHTyfwqHnyAmflPjx-RWUOwnNggQEMv0NA541E7FQpkVFAKeSw5icxlCD4J4X5Jwo5-C4eCLBhitAfGEodtl3oq6BvahDEMFFJW60qiu9tLvZJRS/w640-h480/IMG_0292.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike turns the key, but fortunately no missiles were launched :-) </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-L-vVLxXttOeiQorftapVhmpbJ7WCDqKRjr_Lvz3pF5uc0xMaS0jDt3IbdAeZ7iIYRDyQaTgTDrCYDvgDIo_8BlRFg2a3xjSllx-8CbZvBuMWoJjaCHurDyPNL3nLD67oYFV-p5RIVBV/s2048/IMG_0301.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1537" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-L-vVLxXttOeiQorftapVhmpbJ7WCDqKRjr_Lvz3pF5uc0xMaS0jDt3IbdAeZ7iIYRDyQaTgTDrCYDvgDIo_8BlRFg2a3xjSllx-8CbZvBuMWoJjaCHurDyPNL3nLD67oYFV-p5RIVBV/w480-h640/IMG_0301.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking at the Titan missile from below ground</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFt0x2AwSLX8chf7jf882RRcqYP3jSIjhckEaeaqyJCmdR4ZQFm-YobIGGVgkdY5lq6DKcFuaBugMBzGBb94m5Oei3fv-JWbdSxYTRpqG2GOSjgY4NokyedMVYR_ISco5HUF98_1RGcZ_/s2048/IMG_8710.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFt0x2AwSLX8chf7jf882RRcqYP3jSIjhckEaeaqyJCmdR4ZQFm-YobIGGVgkdY5lq6DKcFuaBugMBzGBb94m5Oei3fv-JWbdSxYTRpqG2GOSjgY4NokyedMVYR_ISco5HUF98_1RGcZ_/w640-h640/IMG_8710.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down at the missile from topside</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Sunday we drove to nearby Honeybee Canyon and hiked out to a small rock art site. This was a sweet little hike, with the trail, actually mostly a wash, surrounded by a neighborhood of homes which probably contributed to the lack of vandalism at the site.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknzLLIrZQzLMvCiULorDfwvxhaRpdSCx0fKbxO-LV8MUDZVc5dveBJ-qEEX9uHFttk5uOW4CMlMY00ZPommfPVAd_Z0AhIEjHAmfX89435p8lTO8hgL5fMxkEmapaesVklpqeZXnq5K3S/s1852/Honeybee+Canyon.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1420" data-original-width="1852" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknzLLIrZQzLMvCiULorDfwvxhaRpdSCx0fKbxO-LV8MUDZVc5dveBJ-qEEX9uHFttk5uOW4CMlMY00ZPommfPVAd_Z0AhIEjHAmfX89435p8lTO8hgL5fMxkEmapaesVklpqeZXnq5K3S/w640-h490/Honeybee+Canyon.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hike started at the green icon at bottom with red pin at the petroglyphs; note housing areas</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dE3O6m_hppgSNMNF4oP2T8EAFqFj4XVz1MeptjuvPQrvcfBU52zXGVhIi-CALuNrv8qBOP1qw65PokmIFI04PaJRN6Tkmw0p4EFi_X8bxZUqObBzuEL2aG3KT-LKCorIvieNTp8eKQ7b/s2048/IMG_0318.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dE3O6m_hppgSNMNF4oP2T8EAFqFj4XVz1MeptjuvPQrvcfBU52zXGVhIi-CALuNrv8qBOP1qw65PokmIFI04PaJRN6Tkmw0p4EFi_X8bxZUqObBzuEL2aG3KT-LKCorIvieNTp8eKQ7b/w640-h480/IMG_0318.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first part of the Honeybee Canyon hike went through these old rock structures</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrOcaMWOzlsFX61_iGT5Uys213mGPd8ctTgHdKn8c3rJJIgFyjjkmqgjRmJg0acuc5dugl1L6C1Ks7Xv2kjevSaeEGLOpKJxwYYts_-ZHtdWhTw4_iwJXWs2YPwj9VoU5Pk6nCyLLUfGs/s2048/IMG_0321.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrOcaMWOzlsFX61_iGT5Uys213mGPd8ctTgHdKn8c3rJJIgFyjjkmqgjRmJg0acuc5dugl1L6C1Ks7Xv2kjevSaeEGLOpKJxwYYts_-ZHtdWhTw4_iwJXWs2YPwj9VoU5Pk6nCyLLUfGs/w640-h480/IMG_0321.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of the hike was in sandy washes, with a few muddy spots</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cb3_pMaCoUxebUnfYVmYAsGd5LqmiEkMiq_Dn7E_Iyg_CAKaqXDD93RJAM0WRDJ3VUEH1eLZT8ckngl52bB9C4cAGuHbIZkJE7JqslQeFzviHbkeWT1Hg3qa3oHyQ9ZBXMSsAetOIWUx/s2048/IMG_0328.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cb3_pMaCoUxebUnfYVmYAsGd5LqmiEkMiq_Dn7E_Iyg_CAKaqXDD93RJAM0WRDJ3VUEH1eLZT8ckngl52bB9C4cAGuHbIZkJE7JqslQeFzviHbkeWT1Hg3qa3oHyQ9ZBXMSsAetOIWUx/w640-h360/IMG_0328.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rocks at center right had the well-preserved petroglyphs</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDRzScJwqofhyGcsmFQVeNPHRH8afXG4KRS4_n50BN180heOoHXpOV2rO6MX_ehk7cXMmy-RM5WxRmQZ_hD6PYBAtUE5M84f8hirRk8OEi9TPwEGVyrVbBZAKBmKk6xywkacBQfAhDwjI/s2048/IMG_8720.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDRzScJwqofhyGcsmFQVeNPHRH8afXG4KRS4_n50BN180heOoHXpOV2rO6MX_ehk7cXMmy-RM5WxRmQZ_hD6PYBAtUE5M84f8hirRk8OEi9TPwEGVyrVbBZAKBmKk6xywkacBQfAhDwjI/w640-h480/IMG_8720.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan with the petroglyphs</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4Gh_HrL6LAqfGrQ6TNGl6lzJBvwRFfA7z5Ju0xVO53IMd28b5D7OD3dZZDFIDvUJ7rPn5jrLayTLAUfOrm1ucRqiTDY7ShQA_dchIw53CFvbx29YHOWPM6SmZWB8-6ZSZwuy19aI1MjJ/s2048/IMG_8716.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4Gh_HrL6LAqfGrQ6TNGl6lzJBvwRFfA7z5Ju0xVO53IMd28b5D7OD3dZZDFIDvUJ7rPn5jrLayTLAUfOrm1ucRqiTDY7ShQA_dchIw53CFvbx29YHOWPM6SmZWB8-6ZSZwuy19aI1MjJ/w640-h480/IMG_8716.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petroglyph detail</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>We started the next week with a bike ride out to Saguaro National Park’s east unit which has a one way loop road perfect for biking. We had planned to borrow a bike rack from the bike rental shop, but when we arrived, learned that they didn’t have one for us to use after all. But no problem, Tucson has a bike trail that encircles the city. </div><div><br /></div><div>So we hopped on the trail which runs along the Rillito River, currently dry, and headed east. We weren’t expecting to see a javelina in the city, but one popped up out of the big wash right in front of us! He was gone in a moment so there was no time for a photo.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQv9FSq0cUGY3KhyphenhyphenZzqsGnrtSyZv__dULgJl_9P832avu8i0hhYyEMDM8B6dYe6BnmCy5n-s6pQYuKvzue2nHzfkWVYmjK-HHBoEVqH1olTekfzetrsxu-xonrgyJkneI5YsKCOJl4mhqw/s2048/IMG_8725.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQv9FSq0cUGY3KhyphenhyphenZzqsGnrtSyZv__dULgJl_9P832avu8i0hhYyEMDM8B6dYe6BnmCy5n-s6pQYuKvzue2nHzfkWVYmjK-HHBoEVqH1olTekfzetrsxu-xonrgyJkneI5YsKCOJl4mhqw/w640-h360/IMG_8725.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the terrain east of Tucson</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />Pedaling around the saguaros was really fun and thought it was neat that volunteer park rangers patrol on bicycles.<br /><br />While we were comfortable most of the day, on the way home it got pretty chilly. We were coming in much later in the day than planned because we lingered and possibly made a wrong turn or two. How ironic the coldest we have felt on a bike ride was in southern Arizona. We fueled up, and warmed up at a restaurant a short walk from the bike rental before heading back north. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YAk0bTO4JgMkYCGq9zpMePwNd0Z8lX1dLdQ80xK55OH-EE7miavFvfm0JdnJK4rjEnHn3oX-w-5374wqUTX9cSKFLogrmUBs9ATHiRcDpD6wGW1mD-kPcL62AlHI9Bel_ycp8dQhHNKq/s2048/IMG_8730.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YAk0bTO4JgMkYCGq9zpMePwNd0Z8lX1dLdQ80xK55OH-EE7miavFvfm0JdnJK4rjEnHn3oX-w-5374wqUTX9cSKFLogrmUBs9ATHiRcDpD6wGW1mD-kPcL62AlHI9Bel_ycp8dQhHNKq/w640-h480/IMG_8730.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>The map below shows our ride, our longest to-date, at over 52 miles, with 1350 feet of gain. It took us a bit less than 6 hours. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHS9wNIgiwAMPRxBJrHtVmNoJKMBnTD6A52nChyphenhyphenWuGMQay-FJmsVUBst1rZtQa-bF8TRLjkqYmYqPXp7r4L0WZK88Z0xq5ZU3l5ZqqCW-I2Q3oVbfKTz06YOZiSw8-MQb-Zk7F5OwgapZw/w640-h428/Screen+Shot+2021-01-01+at+2.37.50+PM.png" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Track (in orange) of our route from Tucson to Saguaro NP East</div><br /><div>Neither of us had ever been to Madera Canyon, so the next day we decided to drive down and check it out. It was a quick “windshield” tour, but we really liked what we saw for birding and hiking, and look forward to booking a room there during the spring migration another time.<br /><br />Wednesday was our last full day in Tucson, and we spent it at the <a href="https://pimaair.org/" target="_blank">Pima Air & Space Museum</a> and the <a href="https://www.airplaneboneyards.com/davis-monthan-afb-amarg-airplane-boneyard.htm" target="_blank">Davis Monthan AFB Boneyard</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtWqg7z3d7uqUz3wC90AFEiCvNWLyozefzW_x259L7s2Kpk0b6dowizNQW-6sV7ud8iX7OTv1QRdd7VzCr9pCEQTqXYkB9cdWp5lk_YV1pYU1BdTjKITzUQg-mJTr2-Z-6LKoNoJZp19-/s2048/IMG_8749.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1388" data-original-width="2048" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtWqg7z3d7uqUz3wC90AFEiCvNWLyozefzW_x259L7s2Kpk0b6dowizNQW-6sV7ud8iX7OTv1QRdd7VzCr9pCEQTqXYkB9cdWp5lk_YV1pYU1BdTjKITzUQg-mJTr2-Z-6LKoNoJZp19-/w640-h434/IMG_8749.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">B-17 Flying Fortress named "I'll Be Around", a mainstay bomber of WWII in Europe</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>The museum was excellent, with lots of indoor and outdoor displays and exhibits of aircraft, aviation, and war history. Mike not only enjoyed seeing aircraft that were active during his US Air Force career (1972-1992), but also older aircraft that his father had worked on during his career (1953-1976).</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1lcKU3sM4rGEUM-ncstRsCwfgYizRUSYVOno7-JPCad7J2BKsUe6o7okyM9Po0Qdsmc0vzksyq_SeeWBMfqkZMztddFVBbx69sJdmQc5CgkhZlpbv34NxAs11ZInkRQ_0iqp6b4e-83QI/s2048/IMG_8740.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1lcKU3sM4rGEUM-ncstRsCwfgYizRUSYVOno7-JPCad7J2BKsUe6o7okyM9Po0Qdsmc0vzksyq_SeeWBMfqkZMztddFVBbx69sJdmQc5CgkhZlpbv34NxAs11ZInkRQ_0iqp6b4e-83QI/w640-h360/IMG_8740.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The B-36 was the first aircraft Mike's dad worked on in 1954, the year Mike was born</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjhdrqw_iUtdfkkCVP_B_OmaLidU6md5pRBs3TOJ4rgoizkMQSVdWnAbIMyvaAXXnHO5xaCG67o1_XR1fwzveQ_uYd7frMZ7GVBTYgCx9CJMjjxeYHWAh7G4aFS0vm4fFzTSeo14iKULd/s2048/IMG_0367.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjhdrqw_iUtdfkkCVP_B_OmaLidU6md5pRBs3TOJ4rgoizkMQSVdWnAbIMyvaAXXnHO5xaCG67o1_XR1fwzveQ_uYd7frMZ7GVBTYgCx9CJMjjxeYHWAh7G4aFS0vm4fFzTSeo14iKULd/w640-h480/IMG_0367.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike with the B-36 named "City of Fort Worth"; Mike was born in Fort Worth on Carswell AFB,<br />where his father was stationed and worked on its engines</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>It was fun for Mike to walk up to, and around, military aircraft he'd been a passenger on. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYgGD9jd3rSlZOjRWwBuVZttO0VkG3pJB7n4Z6ZicdIxWyXcss6Q1LN9qAJnbX2krC6agFw45PnoW-bvoDEWzW7JirFxzBUSISED5yl3xbMdi5Eqtzb2Unm9CesS8z-IkviUBezUVpiQY/s2048/IMG_0350.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1372" data-original-width="2048" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYgGD9jd3rSlZOjRWwBuVZttO0VkG3pJB7n4Z6ZicdIxWyXcss6Q1LN9qAJnbX2krC6agFw45PnoW-bvoDEWzW7JirFxzBUSISED5yl3xbMdi5Eqtzb2Unm9CesS8z-IkviUBezUVpiQY/w640-h428/IMG_0350.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike with the C-141B Starlifter, an aircraft he once took a "hop" on from Europe to the US</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mouuzGMeuaE3lPRtQxiHhuEdMJxZgAW5llW4UhVE0X54RRTsmzpi0sKaFz1EbPC_AQ3FUMCiPUr5ma0CL2pFZzQEAmU-6VBwDcLIS6YJRB7jXb7Ow39FFlfp1O3YUFqSLYNfoIpGJrke/s2048/IMG_8746.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mouuzGMeuaE3lPRtQxiHhuEdMJxZgAW5llW4UhVE0X54RRTsmzpi0sKaFz1EbPC_AQ3FUMCiPUr5ma0CL2pFZzQEAmU-6VBwDcLIS6YJRB7jXb7Ow39FFlfp1O3YUFqSLYNfoIpGJrke/w640-h360/IMG_8746.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were several aircraft which were contemporary art installations</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDQQAe-qgXQ2s1AdoRf3llB3iEUn4RoOEGqz3XH9ChLnkmX4sTAHEI0zWWNJJwXDMrzzAit0AWg_W3DXRkuiECKTA7FMMguqTaZWGtjfc4NHng8aYyG6meI2cUpM-1AG-PkiNG-L5AP2Q/s2048/IMG_8750.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="2048" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDQQAe-qgXQ2s1AdoRf3llB3iEUn4RoOEGqz3XH9ChLnkmX4sTAHEI0zWWNJJwXDMrzzAit0AWg_W3DXRkuiECKTA7FMMguqTaZWGtjfc4NHng8aYyG6meI2cUpM-1AG-PkiNG-L5AP2Q/w640-h256/IMG_8750.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aircraft on display in one of several hangers at Pima Air & Space Museum</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>The boneyard tour was also excellent, though for most of the tour we were confined to the tour bus, without much opportunity to wander around the aircraft. Security was very tight for this tour, as the busload of mostly civilians had to go through security at Davis-Monthan's gate. And this was after registering for the tour online in advance. Large cameras with telescopic lenses were not allowed. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9rofGMs5KuNNcZ7UMots6z3MCoWgb072cbcUQvdBJiLv1HP4Qw8M03WVfv2QAb_pdOxDGwRJQ3SGMg2TEtKug4N127qhVKDwwGIygyy_ONg28YDpZOwIN77KVINveTFWzD9NSU-Av8Na/s2048/6388E26F-D5D1-422C-9E6E-AEED2DF1EE9B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="963" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9rofGMs5KuNNcZ7UMots6z3MCoWgb072cbcUQvdBJiLv1HP4Qw8M03WVfv2QAb_pdOxDGwRJQ3SGMg2TEtKug4N127qhVKDwwGIygyy_ONg28YDpZOwIN77KVINveTFWzD9NSU-Av8Na/w640-h300/6388E26F-D5D1-422C-9E6E-AEED2DF1EE9B.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCVOrnjMZ5GUlh-p1BEm1W6YEYF-yiHMdzn6qiAXep5e1IfUwNTvi2W3rxudKsVv9jFrhGyNpY8nGltgOpq3gqh7IBWWOj50LwSjz-mDmFyU8tUAi38Pxk_yz9njKtCU8TbDThWp4kftK/s2048/IMG_0385.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCVOrnjMZ5GUlh-p1BEm1W6YEYF-yiHMdzn6qiAXep5e1IfUwNTvi2W3rxudKsVv9jFrhGyNpY8nGltgOpq3gqh7IBWWOj50LwSjz-mDmFyU8tUAi38Pxk_yz9njKtCU8TbDThWp4kftK/w640-h360/IMG_0385.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>We got back in time to have dessert and play one last game of Upwords with Aunt Lois. She is quite good at word games and sure kept us on our toes during the numerous rounds of Upwords we played with her in the afternoons following our adventures around town. (Little did we know that a few weeks later, we would continue playing Upwards daily at home during the COVID lockdown.)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4YvYQGNssVgoCXOLlLaOe_XQVnXFoY8xxos2Ex-5ToO3p8BnUBX5cpKuVbp-ESlCmpB4vH5lARQl5SeMp7W2QqEjUsnCBU3xej6BLNVl03ykZdTEEhgtE49nBHuNbYUADe1_avAbXXsD/s2048/IMG_0342.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2048" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4YvYQGNssVgoCXOLlLaOe_XQVnXFoY8xxos2Ex-5ToO3p8BnUBX5cpKuVbp-ESlCmpB4vH5lARQl5SeMp7W2QqEjUsnCBU3xej6BLNVl03ykZdTEEhgtE49nBHuNbYUADe1_avAbXXsD/w640-h416/IMG_0342.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br />Thursday morning we headed towards home, only going as far as Winslow to visit Meteor Crater. We have known each other for 18 years yet Susan never knew the crater was on Mike’s bucket list. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZ1f9koCD_1-mhcFFtJdRBusuS8wQm3TocGUaRjnt0zw5xRstG1Lfaz-TG8mPn2s1EU2rFzy8YeFtkkrhhyphenhyphenIPI7u5mOVtcMV84JiI88LqUngm7VES3flcZHR2lbCO5fGf8mYTXsamOILt/s2048/_L4C0438-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZ1f9koCD_1-mhcFFtJdRBusuS8wQm3TocGUaRjnt0zw5xRstG1Lfaz-TG8mPn2s1EU2rFzy8YeFtkkrhhyphenhyphenIPI7u5mOVtcMV84JiI88LqUngm7VES3flcZHR2lbCO5fGf8mYTXsamOILt/w640-h360/_L4C0438-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama of the crater, shot from the edge during our walking tour along the rim</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCAtESpOjRl1fiHnjl_VQbsV_8BE_it1dA5WuBVMa8PfgA7xDZi5Ld9w8aMdYh4y6_3Tj0jUsb2g8-LK4eJln9E9jqNuL8kIrqAmg9CzzG2-mL_ehyphenhyphenlQlhXruSDSZGy7AF-vQvAGQbrIG/s1024/Meteorcrater.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="1024" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCAtESpOjRl1fiHnjl_VQbsV_8BE_it1dA5WuBVMa8PfgA7xDZi5Ld9w8aMdYh4y6_3Tj0jUsb2g8-LK4eJln9E9jqNuL8kIrqAmg9CzzG2-mL_ehyphenhyphenlQlhXruSDSZGy7AF-vQvAGQbrIG/w640-h428/Meteorcrater.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial view of the crater, about 3/4 mile wide and as deep as 600 ft<br />(image from Wikipedia)</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>We were surprised to learn that the meteor crater is privately owned by the Barringer family, since 1903. At the time, Barringer was interested in mining for iron, and well before science had confirmed it, he suspected the crater was formed by an impact. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTxM887VgAWlltevRvHUd9kYNqjs0cGZ1gdJkRtcyNuWDXq65p3mNj8OKft-aJjqWdItbpG7mBYWxmUeMDsFO2oEC-EfUQC8RfsPCXsOuCrKdq8shMsNIs2p-6rWmNTNRytGZUfqNAv_B/s2048/_L4C0463-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTxM887VgAWlltevRvHUd9kYNqjs0cGZ1gdJkRtcyNuWDXq65p3mNj8OKft-aJjqWdItbpG7mBYWxmUeMDsFO2oEC-EfUQC8RfsPCXsOuCrKdq8shMsNIs2p-6rWmNTNRytGZUfqNAv_B/w640-h360/_L4C0463-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>After we left the Meteor Crater we decided to take advantage of the evening light, so we went out to the Little Painted Desert County Park, a neat area of badlands not far from Winslow, and well worth a stop. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiciibFsZCmFK5kMMM7KlhDqVV0xUmJZG512zRhg7DmPKmp-Sqf5drX7jL5NOk5MG8cgslWg0HIp_8ZZliGFWzE_gKHzfXwHr95AuOxmb7lL70Ub2YdXvWR5-0T3bNmsW7JKezs4f9Z48Q7/s2048/_L4C0488-Pano-2-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="2048" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiciibFsZCmFK5kMMM7KlhDqVV0xUmJZG512zRhg7DmPKmp-Sqf5drX7jL5NOk5MG8cgslWg0HIp_8ZZliGFWzE_gKHzfXwHr95AuOxmb7lL70Ub2YdXvWR5-0T3bNmsW7JKezs4f9Z48Q7/w640-h170/_L4C0488-Pano-2-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama of the badlands at Little Painted Desert County Park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0HS9p4RxP9PIuff3hn5XLHwODM-t4F8fdUOtNpqOThFaMysO0s-xu17jjTj6V-0p0JkzRzT1pMFPYUxQT8nMc0ZuNare4zcdK5oVathFn8P6J06CX1R7VRSEv164w-DtE-ORf45Qm2HI4/s2048/_L4C0523-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0HS9p4RxP9PIuff3hn5XLHwODM-t4F8fdUOtNpqOThFaMysO0s-xu17jjTj6V-0p0JkzRzT1pMFPYUxQT8nMc0ZuNare4zcdK5oVathFn8P6J06CX1R7VRSEv164w-DtE-ORf45Qm2HI4/w640-h426/_L4C0523-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br />After sunset at the badlands we had dinner at the Relic Road Brewery, and afterwards we did the obligatory “Standing on the Corner” photo op in Winslow. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCtFFxIliwow7tIagSzdA2Amj5r9kfF2MTb2FR7G0-QqZpf5W-Q11GbAP0qINsZ7J9ypqnsqdr77TUaYImJpuNyv851BULb9OZCiPi_0m1qdFjowloTaFQ2exZJB7pbUuhdmndMEWPu9z6/s2048/_L4C0575-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCtFFxIliwow7tIagSzdA2Amj5r9kfF2MTb2FR7G0-QqZpf5W-Q11GbAP0qINsZ7J9ypqnsqdr77TUaYImJpuNyv851BULb9OZCiPi_0m1qdFjowloTaFQ2exZJB7pbUuhdmndMEWPu9z6/w640-h426/_L4C0575-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan standing on the corner</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQeoyxx6X_ZSAm94Di4wJL3fUmJzS-DFVPnnyeP4FUFsYi9bHMedI90k6AuqP5ncWWL6KW0NtwEQhrJt_UmOW_I3DkJ-2Hgvx-bZEW6f9EofkiLH8TezDvSrfgFdorLtGC5Q0hXrL7kii/s2048/IMG_0414.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQeoyxx6X_ZSAm94Di4wJL3fUmJzS-DFVPnnyeP4FUFsYi9bHMedI90k6AuqP5ncWWL6KW0NtwEQhrJt_UmOW_I3DkJ-2Hgvx-bZEW6f9EofkiLH8TezDvSrfgFdorLtGC5Q0hXrL7kii/w640-h360/IMG_0414.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>We spent the last day of the month at the Aztec Ruins National Monument. This is yet another under-visited national monument that is well worth a stop. The reconstructed great Kiva, complete with a roof, was especially interesting because it conveyed the feeling of what it must have been like to live in that time.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhN8jcPMxCE8ZxGVvWoDVQyAqhNIEfqnh6AiGtrWz8sHHE5LZTVwOzI0QUXPGCCnuh-DEPANMoCj0LMQt9YtLKve5eZLthsYhYeFRhpNCZjszYL1iLXtAK5Tkvwn0uohW4EhqV8vEXpr3_/s2048/_L4C0576-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhN8jcPMxCE8ZxGVvWoDVQyAqhNIEfqnh6AiGtrWz8sHHE5LZTVwOzI0QUXPGCCnuh-DEPANMoCj0LMQt9YtLKve5eZLthsYhYeFRhpNCZjszYL1iLXtAK5Tkvwn0uohW4EhqV8vEXpr3_/w640-h360/_L4C0576-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The restored Great Kiva structure</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOP6fQ5RGxIjioYgmH_ZOWxN1-prQ7BcGnjK5K4HKs0BvmDtfQ12wNsvdGL3ZR_b6lHOVRPpbZznZSqZcU-BoZl0VRqAhECdDS84Pw3wcXsuO_AZp12AXiV2Ip7eg2Y_GbETbfNkGwaFFh/s2048/IMG_8817.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="2048" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOP6fQ5RGxIjioYgmH_ZOWxN1-prQ7BcGnjK5K4HKs0BvmDtfQ12wNsvdGL3ZR_b6lHOVRPpbZznZSqZcU-BoZl0VRqAhECdDS84Pw3wcXsuO_AZp12AXiV2Ip7eg2Y_GbETbfNkGwaFFh/w640-h344/IMG_8817.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior of the Great Kiva</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuUIAzsh8luCmvwx2LopU5hl1xBKOqSxaKl5nqRhGwn6-EwwFc1FqwsbNtP-SmMH5klPCaNhFGK_PYCK5rw8kBVSUNFXkdFLH980akPt2PNHEbC1oL89L3JnWJkEDbhqVF87CLpwAOlJR/s2048/_L4C0592-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuUIAzsh8luCmvwx2LopU5hl1xBKOqSxaKl5nqRhGwn6-EwwFc1FqwsbNtP-SmMH5klPCaNhFGK_PYCK5rw8kBVSUNFXkdFLH980akPt2PNHEbC1oL89L3JnWJkEDbhqVF87CLpwAOlJR/w640-h426/_L4C0592-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuUIAzsh8luCmvwx2LopU5hl1xBKOqSxaKl5nqRhGwn6-EwwFc1FqwsbNtP-SmMH5klPCaNhFGK_PYCK5rw8kBVSUNFXkdFLH980akPt2PNHEbC1oL89L3JnWJkEDbhqVF87CLpwAOlJR/s2048/_L4C0592-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0MtmkOI2__ZiqcBiXe0EuXtuDOG5DwBozhe_8ml1WQcMktjyHIyyVVkUx8df6EeHqoTswH_XMuSOljSB5c924w1__FNhgeSxjEEXS2rbYz-y4bNTm6mcSTVrqWRnnas1-6JXn1NzO3uA/w640-h400/_L4C0596-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>After staying the night in Durango, Saturday February 1st we returned to snow country, and had an easy drive back to Dillon.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ehA8qVxO-Z7mEfhGXUFrxWJzu2CzW2OITWsN_rTqND1KAfHuW-yCf6bq7tlARCHsh-A93V0mDFXPvMLUSmzk3h3PlmvgkTAdAdC7WZCwk_EK9XRF9O4YAY-_pcfxh9tZbH_IuLSCZpak/s2048/536D7EDF-182D-4D80-A599-425421FBA8C3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ehA8qVxO-Z7mEfhGXUFrxWJzu2CzW2OITWsN_rTqND1KAfHuW-yCf6bq7tlARCHsh-A93V0mDFXPvMLUSmzk3h3PlmvgkTAdAdC7WZCwk_EK9XRF9O4YAY-_pcfxh9tZbH_IuLSCZpak/w640-h480/536D7EDF-182D-4D80-A599-425421FBA8C3.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike on the snow-packed trail at Sapphire Point</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-75067431949691032942019-04-20T10:30:00.000-07:002019-04-22T12:21:59.543-07:00Rattlesnake Arches (April 20, 2019)Several years ago, while visiting <a href="http://www.justournature.com/2015/01/colorado-national-monument-jan-3-2015.html" target="_blank">Colorado National Monument</a>, our curiosity was piqued when we learned about a place in nearby <a href="https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/colorado/mcinnis-canyons" target="_blank">McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area</a> containing the second largest concentration of arches after <a href="http://www.justournature.com/2011/10/moab.html" target="_blank">Arches National Park</a> in Utah.<br />
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As much as we love America’s Greatest Idea, the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/national-park-system.htm" target="_blank">National Park System</a>, finding solitude exploring out of the way places has become an increasing priority in our adventures. But until we got more serious about off-roading last year, Rattlesnake Arches, which is within the BLM's <a href="https://www.blm.gov/visit/black-ridge-canyons-wilderness" target="_blank">Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness</a>, was a bit out of our (and especially my) hiking range, at over 14 miles from the trailhead near Fruita.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking the Rattlesnake Arches area near Fruita, Colorado</td></tr>
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Enter "Moby", our 2017 Toyota 4Runner. Purchased last spring very lightly used with only 7,500 miles, 3" lift, rock sliders, off-road truck tires, Mike has since wisely added a beefier skid plate and brighter headlights, and has collected an impressive assortment of off-road emergency and recovery gear.<br />
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Rattlesnake Arches was at the top of our off-road adventures list but it took us almost a year to get there due to planned seasonal road closures, impassable conditions and summer heat. But this year we marked the calendar to go out shortly after the Upper Road opened and had a Goldilocks day April 20, just 5 days after the road opened for the season. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting the 4WD part of the road to the trailhead</td></tr>
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Past the Upper Road is the high clearance 4WD Road that would take us right to the trailhead, cutting over 5 miles off the hike. The the road was easier than expected, always a relief for me, but perhaps a bit of a disappointment for Mike who enjoys the off-roading challenges. Still it was a fun ride with vistas across the Colorado River and Fruita and the mountains beyond. It took about and hour and a half to get to the trailhead from Grand Junction.<br />
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Our hike took us first on the upper trail where after about a mile we had a steep view down to First Arch and far across the canyon to a number of red rock alcoves.<br />
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Opting not to try the steep scramble down through First Arch, we instead backtracked to access the lower loop trail which started with a number of steep and rocky switchbacks leading to the canyon floor.<br />
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I started the descent alone while Mike hiked back to the car to get more water. At the bottom, the U-shaped trail hugged canyon wall, with magnificent views up at the massive rock walls and arches all the way. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of little wildflowers along the trail</td></tr>
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The trail ends looking up at First Arch, unless you feel comfortable with the class 3/4 scrambling required to climb up First Arch. I didn’t, so we traced our steps back, adding 2.2 miles to the hike and getting a second look at all the beauty on the canyon floor. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsEP4yL6KmXXJQNzLYd7qEQ2t8hYz9iKP89cKOz683wPA8vFwZfVVexD_ACK_zQNLtNuIs2W675CxqOrmzIB-Y9CHOZgWAAV-2paZJTWsTL7CupuyVkggvgl-DmODYw0Em4KLVhUhCfM-/s1600/_L4C8631-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsEP4yL6KmXXJQNzLYd7qEQ2t8hYz9iKP89cKOz683wPA8vFwZfVVexD_ACK_zQNLtNuIs2W675CxqOrmzIB-Y9CHOZgWAAV-2paZJTWsTL7CupuyVkggvgl-DmODYw0Em4KLVhUhCfM-/s640/_L4C8631-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking up at First Arch before heading back</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39Qc3ta0eneQ0j0IybXReMg6ekKRFRhYG3e1yJnuk2MGQ8Bd2LfX_cZRAxPhRCe1ZukCui8BIkIAGPE3y4ooEf6V2-5DRpgrQ7VVyUEFyr38K-ZalliywFvaFfYhRWALBcqZd366KIN8l/s1600/_L4C8633-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39Qc3ta0eneQ0j0IybXReMg6ekKRFRhYG3e1yJnuk2MGQ8Bd2LfX_cZRAxPhRCe1ZukCui8BIkIAGPE3y4ooEf6V2-5DRpgrQ7VVyUEFyr38K-ZalliywFvaFfYhRWALBcqZd366KIN8l/s640/_L4C8633-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqD2qDbPy_lsie_t9FZm3v6qOpyU9__wO9oyZVh2FGcpoz1u7FYYZWH0k7ldw0Xxy38dbke-Jot6Nvb0pQAHUw0JBALlxHa2ZQsqNW7e8u8sV0MQPIJkHCPmFfgimNxBBPncSVSo4lBmMh/s1600/_L4C8640-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqD2qDbPy_lsie_t9FZm3v6qOpyU9__wO9oyZVh2FGcpoz1u7FYYZWH0k7ldw0Xxy38dbke-Jot6Nvb0pQAHUw0JBALlxHa2ZQsqNW7e8u8sV0MQPIJkHCPmFfgimNxBBPncSVSo4lBmMh/s640/_L4C8640-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back down on the trail we just ascended</td></tr>
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On the way out we stopped at the <a href="http://www.glade-park.com/glade-park-store.html" target="_blank">Glade Park Store</a>, which was quite a blast from the past, and had a nice visit with the proprietor.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEiFS0uM5D7zTzcBDOvMr7oY5r6rcfwQztVEpcH-ougE2bKN3rxSKp3Hv_5xRFx3o4vf4Roox-YY3byRZiFfPPbiTX7DdWy6TuQbsMPPZ1_jj-ViOhmpcbq07V8beu6VeqNrDxsV2TD5v7/s1600/IMG_9963-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEiFS0uM5D7zTzcBDOvMr7oY5r6rcfwQztVEpcH-ougE2bKN3rxSKp3Hv_5xRFx3o4vf4Roox-YY3byRZiFfPPbiTX7DdWy6TuQbsMPPZ1_jj-ViOhmpcbq07V8beu6VeqNrDxsV2TD5v7/s640/IMG_9963-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glad Park Store</td></tr>
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Here's the GPS map/track with statistics on this hike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItjpLMeBsvykkBxv3_HQMjZupnCrKACWMj_y9gcyT-FQJUPtiseKPUfOI5gVnA0eUPZ1prT2wR4Ta1lCYs5F-1TUXdqj4sJSwWPt_9jDYD3GyasEvu-3VYBkI76dKYFRBto4-gUJ_efh_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-04-22+at+12.58.45+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItjpLMeBsvykkBxv3_HQMjZupnCrKACWMj_y9gcyT-FQJUPtiseKPUfOI5gVnA0eUPZ1prT2wR4Ta1lCYs5F-1TUXdqj4sJSwWPt_9jDYD3GyasEvu-3VYBkI76dKYFRBto4-gUJ_efh_/s640/Screen+Shot+2019-04-22+at+12.58.45+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As you can see, we enjoy a leisurely pace :-) </td></tr>
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Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com0McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, Fruita, CO 81521, USA39.104477 -108.9502231999999814.584474500000002 -150.25881719999998 63.624479500000007 -67.641629199999983tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-30360983351046720962017-02-07T13:00:00.438-07:002021-01-09T09:21:36.251-07:00Arizona-Utah Trip (Jan 27 - Feb 6, 2017)Happy 2017! Our first big trip of the year started with a stop in sunny Tucson to visit Susan's aunt. We drove there directly with a overnight in Socorro, then headed west past the <a href="http://www.vla.nrao.edu/" target="_blank">Very Large Array</a> and through the Salt River Canyon.<div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3vKlnOCks4RYsQgNwPvXnzXUYryTh-DGMtNg8gNzMahPVkRxVi03128jsLnM0naW5xJREOR34ugH0NX0WLhNmu31WQ54lsMNve_AuCAnp0hLr85oLHJ3POgn1ovcsgFQk2fcsurFnLXv/s2048/_MG_5194-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3vKlnOCks4RYsQgNwPvXnzXUYryTh-DGMtNg8gNzMahPVkRxVi03128jsLnM0naW5xJREOR34ugH0NX0WLhNmu31WQ54lsMNve_AuCAnp0hLr85oLHJ3POgn1ovcsgFQk2fcsurFnLXv/w640-h360/_MG_5194-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three of the 27 radio antennas in a Y-shaped configuration on the<br />Plains of San Agustin, fifty miles west of Socorro, New Mexico</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_qS3ql4ejfEuoZFZsfVxHbqZpNONjtNDv559lN1FSg4Vna9P9h2MK3F6PQMgtjzA0QdA74TwBSIa760ZYwGnrXo_9ZolXeE9rUOgwAc1r86jnsbH368QjfKlJ6h1JzyNbpr3zBg5Se6C/s2048/_L4C8344-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_qS3ql4ejfEuoZFZsfVxHbqZpNONjtNDv559lN1FSg4Vna9P9h2MK3F6PQMgtjzA0QdA74TwBSIa760ZYwGnrXo_9ZolXeE9rUOgwAc1r86jnsbH368QjfKlJ6h1JzyNbpr3zBg5Se6C/w640-h426/_L4C8344-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Salt River near the bottom of the Salt River Canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGav2CH7rPO69xCWLnEYh0uOXgbcveIQrDYr57t0z-xMWCtbqPIwT0kiMR_nKM8s5_sgccoEgs338UBXQJH2tGUntufE6zMjBhxgBgfYO9UDknzNsls_nC3Rc-0eEFwmyBFtW6upoXIIgF/s2048/IMG_2811.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGav2CH7rPO69xCWLnEYh0uOXgbcveIQrDYr57t0z-xMWCtbqPIwT0kiMR_nKM8s5_sgccoEgs338UBXQJH2tGUntufE6zMjBhxgBgfYO9UDknzNsls_nC3Rc-0eEFwmyBFtW6upoXIIgF/w640-h480/IMG_2811.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan with her Aunt Lois</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPeLpGidl91G_1xG921YPlKILo6qObe5_PwV2S1pxq8CZHt3KQKBJQ7Hd3YvtyKdkdTnej9IRe66-l1hh63bjE-aaN0Md3BvRyKw8qzWeIQjz_qHz-m1wfprU1Z2X-EHvPaQWl_jlbjSG/s2048/IMG_9348.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1534" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPeLpGidl91G_1xG921YPlKILo6qObe5_PwV2S1pxq8CZHt3KQKBJQ7Hd3YvtyKdkdTnej9IRe66-l1hh63bjE-aaN0Md3BvRyKw8qzWeIQjz_qHz-m1wfprU1Z2X-EHvPaQWl_jlbjSG/w640-h480/IMG_9348.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike, with Lois at her fancy keyboard</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>We did something new this trip and attended the evening Dark Sky Discovery program at Kitt Peak Observatory. On our way there, we went through Saguaro National Park (west) just for fun. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk4YwpsL0a0NOW3ITpxES4Aut4yjVH8jtx2nnZIFY3RGK8wvP84etSzU6UZ0ajdiSmVlyHR5_D1SU_ZYvB_YrL9JLKx6uBX8v_XxojllluO7DGSZ4m3NSwXuKIjIiaW2pYGr7XEYiP7MJ/s2048/_L4C4936-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk4YwpsL0a0NOW3ITpxES4Aut4yjVH8jtx2nnZIFY3RGK8wvP84etSzU6UZ0ajdiSmVlyHR5_D1SU_ZYvB_YrL9JLKx6uBX8v_XxojllluO7DGSZ4m3NSwXuKIjIiaW2pYGr7XEYiP7MJ/w640-h400/_L4C4936-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhXZgJMxzi50prH2ACsBrFP-oUwrVAczrcFxQHF3pSPdjJcAXOInRERHG9A33blNxscQxM6Csq8TVXtV8m6ntHkLfjwDGqbCu8NK8ikYVYX5IBvDvYFOE9gMpLCYMw266bC8Bw3ZH_AfP/s2048/_L4C4939-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhXZgJMxzi50prH2ACsBrFP-oUwrVAczrcFxQHF3pSPdjJcAXOInRERHG9A33blNxscQxM6Csq8TVXtV8m6ntHkLfjwDGqbCu8NK8ikYVYX5IBvDvYFOE9gMpLCYMw266bC8Bw3ZH_AfP/w640-h426/_L4C4939-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br />Kitt Peak is a very interesting place and after dark no lights are allowed anywhere on the mountain. We were not even allowed to use our phones or cameras because even the led screens could interfere with the sensitive telescopes. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZaJNtrDBmJTMh2HCh8FM69tO0l_rVJxdE4WLYHgPHXEEJJM_qvDysWjoNrWDnJIAHyw2HNyapeeFZykwY4oUavphpNHHv9Y9AwYsGPJNdP6Ff4QYdbOzuYZV8wDIBXmAmahnX5xZACkN/s2048/_L4C4952-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZaJNtrDBmJTMh2HCh8FM69tO0l_rVJxdE4WLYHgPHXEEJJM_qvDysWjoNrWDnJIAHyw2HNyapeeFZykwY4oUavphpNHHv9Y9AwYsGPJNdP6Ff4QYdbOzuYZV8wDIBXmAmahnX5xZACkN/w640-h360/_L4C4952-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Observatories on the summit of Kitt Peak</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gvC506rttC30bsdoEy9JGZqRilgk6oXuwQLiIgaH_imDAl0CLVBvZAXhb8xrNdWGkf8qKMhRzEWOcDBsn3UmSORmuBrdlkJaQW6OTenjmXoGGoDD-Ro3Z-kOQj8nhexKH0hamj_izuN4/s2048/_L4C4961-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gvC506rttC30bsdoEy9JGZqRilgk6oXuwQLiIgaH_imDAl0CLVBvZAXhb8xrNdWGkf8qKMhRzEWOcDBsn3UmSORmuBrdlkJaQW6OTenjmXoGGoDD-Ro3Z-kOQj8nhexKH0hamj_izuN4/w640-h360/_L4C4961-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_gjcdwWLlFLZLHsQtG6tawS95WwOyzIxvGEqfYLeUs63pjFxePfTUzyKdYxGjkpIfKt1emPHwgY1q-BTk_DoZOIG4DvnvSkgItc3PX1VrAeNmSfoz5oBAFW6A0YdArkk5KAjH1ENdtBk/s2048/_L4C5001-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_gjcdwWLlFLZLHsQtG6tawS95WwOyzIxvGEqfYLeUs63pjFxePfTUzyKdYxGjkpIfKt1emPHwgY1q-BTk_DoZOIG4DvnvSkgItc3PX1VrAeNmSfoz5oBAFW6A0YdArkk5KAjH1ENdtBk/w640-h360/_L4C5001-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just after sunset and before our Dark Sky program began</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>While waiting for darkness, our volunteer astronomer guide gave us a lot information about the observatory, the night sky, and the celestial objects we would be observing through our group's mini-observatory.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpRqnOi6fTvrmXXtk3SjADeuvI7-RtwzoO1JQlReePSt5ahU2C3zcDqv9kEZ3LZOwvy8pmz6VZlGXW010A560-gnDmx_mjN0sFoUSqi5stl88k3EcSAAwEqKFGqEx9-qLz3oMfRsVKKaR/s2048/_L4C5006-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpRqnOi6fTvrmXXtk3SjADeuvI7-RtwzoO1JQlReePSt5ahU2C3zcDqv9kEZ3LZOwvy8pmz6VZlGXW010A560-gnDmx_mjN0sFoUSqi5stl88k3EcSAAwEqKFGqEx9-qLz3oMfRsVKKaR/w640-h426/_L4C5006-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The small observatory our group/tour was on for the evening</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3NNLFXIGbYpPGYLIoPhxYWfNM5V5V-hj17axkLxYOokw3LRNbyRUjq2W3ifKMXt3gJMyw4xZUufQo4QDBmP7Fsx4LOkczq3tjA6aim5qDtxrfjJpJPkqWIsNn3KSXMuppY6cah6Od1sb/s2048/_L4C5012-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3NNLFXIGbYpPGYLIoPhxYWfNM5V5V-hj17axkLxYOokw3LRNbyRUjq2W3ifKMXt3gJMyw4xZUufQo4QDBmP7Fsx4LOkczq3tjA6aim5qDtxrfjJpJPkqWIsNn3KSXMuppY6cah6Od1sb/w640-h426/_L4C5012-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "small" computer controlled telescope we used that night</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>After the program, we followed a pilot car back down the mountain, our headlights having been covered with red plastic before it got dark.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzvUD3oJkXTlQXHg1IpiCLCEoR6k-RyhTMSQwBYuEBupdp0vKxCxqRDH78Af74IOBIfcQxe-DtiPBvbNPDpaKTla7dVjH_6BtXpre9ky8ejUqh9qTbyIjedTUsh1CiRb_QZTo2ARJmGYU/s2048/IMG_2818.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzvUD3oJkXTlQXHg1IpiCLCEoR6k-RyhTMSQwBYuEBupdp0vKxCxqRDH78Af74IOBIfcQxe-DtiPBvbNPDpaKTla7dVjH_6BtXpre9ky8ejUqh9qTbyIjedTUsh1CiRb_QZTo2ARJmGYU/w640-h360/IMG_2818.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br />From Tucson we headed to <a href="https://www.nps.gov/chir/index.htm" target="_blank">Chiricahua National Monument</a> a couple hours away. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8bn2NFsGPPRfr97_ObVwWQ3q1aeTlrT3PaEPEXRPBy-AKdhKU5W4eJhnkotO9cvhNxVzeLBjvPOYEVMNOhES16kkmD1pNNKg3rAuQuIt80WD5A8gPiu9H5gYTk0hF0RlGg3su8fmIHti/s1824/Screen+Shot+2021-01-08+at+12.50.56+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1606" data-original-width="1824" height="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8bn2NFsGPPRfr97_ObVwWQ3q1aeTlrT3PaEPEXRPBy-AKdhKU5W4eJhnkotO9cvhNxVzeLBjvPOYEVMNOhES16kkmD1pNNKg3rAuQuIt80WD5A8gPiu9H5gYTk0hF0RlGg3su8fmIHti/w640-h564/Screen+Shot+2021-01-08+at+12.50.56+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>We checked in at the visitor center and made our hiking plan for the next day. Then we drove the Bonita Canyon Scenic Road and hiked the short nature trail around Massai Point. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11bTgSK_Omv_ylVYyRK2sK19qafqQ_G1NQjuaDbXnA8T1-NedqrD8Peqe0L-M7277cNYps-QQzDraCbsi280PgjRSftyYHu_Zr4-RKREP6c7LMdRa_6oZSfEF2wXdgUpDkgQxhaESXZNO/s2048/IMG_9425.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11bTgSK_Omv_ylVYyRK2sK19qafqQ_G1NQjuaDbXnA8T1-NedqrD8Peqe0L-M7277cNYps-QQzDraCbsi280PgjRSftyYHu_Zr4-RKREP6c7LMdRa_6oZSfEF2wXdgUpDkgQxhaESXZNO/w640-h480/IMG_9425.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrkAB0mwiXXbYy69BygQKDPPc5r1VAGLdg7u4UUCFDK5QSXqserkmQHmisQI7-2wFtY5c5RSdY0l3Ll2VlQgwEdmU4Y1aV-Q0HE8o_-_lAZclMvJUYzsSiqfcPhTRbtcea6GE6i0GIWlz/s2048/_L4C5020-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrkAB0mwiXXbYy69BygQKDPPc5r1VAGLdg7u4UUCFDK5QSXqserkmQHmisQI7-2wFtY5c5RSdY0l3Ll2VlQgwEdmU4Y1aV-Q0HE8o_-_lAZclMvJUYzsSiqfcPhTRbtcea6GE6i0GIWlz/w640-h426/_L4C5020-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>In the morning we parked our car at the visitors center and took the hikers shuttle to Echo Canyon Trailhead. We followed the trail past Echo Canyon Grotto, all the way to the junction with the Hailstone Trail where we headed back east.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0TAGy4lN59Ds3TK_JmkCUpKgpF-YotF6lmN2nhioy22feC2PGMuATydk83PJDtJ5iPI6vlxhjpvlDa8P8UsrSQIK6N3Xa65mwU5vnyHm4AI4xlvJ3L_rtwjHrqLejKAW2YOI5_jNC9-N/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-01-08+at+12.52.47+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0TAGy4lN59Ds3TK_JmkCUpKgpF-YotF6lmN2nhioy22feC2PGMuATydk83PJDtJ5iPI6vlxhjpvlDa8P8UsrSQIK6N3Xa65mwU5vnyHm4AI4xlvJ3L_rtwjHrqLejKAW2YOI5_jNC9-N/w640-h426/Screen+Shot+2021-01-08+at+12.52.47+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br />Next was the Mushroom Rock Trail where we had the majority of our elevation gain and hit some ice and snow. Another mile west along the Big Balanced Rock Trail and we were surrounded by rock monoliths. We made a great lunch spot atop one of them.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIFknIc1Nm6iIH2UlvdDdIqSJddaO6X0IpN7XRb73bPjq0W-bjMfToS_rG-rh1_n6gqEYvI-UaMmxw1iGGv41yPa6SPTZD_4z0Qi2cwdceBVkSOU2UnG7mrlbrFz7hduUECyZOVzOn_Aq/s2048/_L4C5034-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIFknIc1Nm6iIH2UlvdDdIqSJddaO6X0IpN7XRb73bPjq0W-bjMfToS_rG-rh1_n6gqEYvI-UaMmxw1iGGv41yPa6SPTZD_4z0Qi2cwdceBVkSOU2UnG7mrlbrFz7hduUECyZOVzOn_Aq/w640-h426/_L4C5034-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMuoLlHcmpMHj3U2v0Q27NWd7QWnfubUb8gr-5MpxYXl-UATVC-HXmuYEK7EFRMXLnWvHMK_vhBnGkmApLk62rbY1J2k7VwpwbJzUvoI8cfntTZqMkTfkofIyRAQWbUckhTVFbKYcaM78/s2048/_L4C5058-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMuoLlHcmpMHj3U2v0Q27NWd7QWnfubUb8gr-5MpxYXl-UATVC-HXmuYEK7EFRMXLnWvHMK_vhBnGkmApLk62rbY1J2k7VwpwbJzUvoI8cfntTZqMkTfkofIyRAQWbUckhTVFbKYcaM78/w640-h426/_L4C5058-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div>The Heart of the Rocks loop was quite icy in spots, but we made our way through this famous part of the Monument without falling! </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0erDxoDxy2gpGGYDaN7Svo5QlJ1zPZ9QsqXJpXqxRjz5ZOhleSbkY0cbPct_bgEml5NNAt_e-9uAKfWovHRReQrp5xEPBoPl6saJP6M-qi4ADOqmLppvqz5-f0K1C8vw54XIH57_a3mj/s2048/_L4C5061-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0erDxoDxy2gpGGYDaN7Svo5QlJ1zPZ9QsqXJpXqxRjz5ZOhleSbkY0cbPct_bgEml5NNAt_e-9uAKfWovHRReQrp5xEPBoPl6saJP6M-qi4ADOqmLppvqz5-f0K1C8vw54XIH57_a3mj/w480-h640/_L4C5061-2k.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">River of ice on the trail!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisN6BQHnw630UuKKv_gIe6arLzseEjIltLgLkO00auVplxLfX-UfMLwlnaG37LFZ8ELpQOMRAj7qaZFWZ9MVqtwLXKjCTLnNiLS0BkugtOFDZkXhB7snoqAdIxjFExfP7i8RB60oFcorto/s2048/_L4C5045-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisN6BQHnw630UuKKv_gIe6arLzseEjIltLgLkO00auVplxLfX-UfMLwlnaG37LFZ8ELpQOMRAj7qaZFWZ9MVqtwLXKjCTLnNiLS0BkugtOFDZkXhB7snoqAdIxjFExfP7i8RB60oFcorto/w640-h426/_L4C5045-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan hiking down into Heart of the Rocks</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBulJTSl65lUbyAj_KI1isoemfzqbimPVW03VcdxVcNTRBBX0gstnoBOGqofTmQRwEsyFuV_pmyoL2wReyh6HJtOlkTgcGVootd1rIdum-YDw_oMzStP1jvtEh1GK0jLkVMJy8xXzK7Lvv/s2048/_L4C5158-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBulJTSl65lUbyAj_KI1isoemfzqbimPVW03VcdxVcNTRBBX0gstnoBOGqofTmQRwEsyFuV_pmyoL2wReyh6HJtOlkTgcGVootd1rIdum-YDw_oMzStP1jvtEh1GK0jLkVMJy8xXzK7Lvv/w640-h360/_L4C5158-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><br /><div><div><br /></div><div>The last two miles along the Sarah Deming Trail and Lower Rhyolite Canyon Trail were a relatively easy end to our ~9 mile hike. We especially enjoyed hiking out with the steep Rhyolite Canyon wall to our right in the late afternoon light.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9Cwr5dAu5xsIRD5K-LP19uQxuk_vaFIBrK_PFodh1t9mUGLEmpSydOuTzTXoLPkYdfi5ikalof9uVmBm-7LelhTvp7znphW06rqhWFcmuDps4SyrLcpLlnmozjr-TxBtXxyfg-Os6_yn/s2048/_L4C5166-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9Cwr5dAu5xsIRD5K-LP19uQxuk_vaFIBrK_PFodh1t9mUGLEmpSydOuTzTXoLPkYdfi5ikalof9uVmBm-7LelhTvp7znphW06rqhWFcmuDps4SyrLcpLlnmozjr-TxBtXxyfg-Os6_yn/w640-h426/_L4C5166-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Balanced Rock</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2MiO_AtvhVmRlevPUhtUcyM4ezuCNrFtbU9w9hD-eJneXTS6QtcPNe5g7VNqHZR6iOHyVXYmce7H-w7ZSuA0wWlUf0pCIr0BUWvLSw4VHwXBTsqrMZ2i9H3VzoCFXbanVc4a96H4hw45p/s2048/_L4C5191-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2MiO_AtvhVmRlevPUhtUcyM4ezuCNrFtbU9w9hD-eJneXTS6QtcPNe5g7VNqHZR6iOHyVXYmce7H-w7ZSuA0wWlUf0pCIr0BUWvLSw4VHwXBTsqrMZ2i9H3VzoCFXbanVc4a96H4hw45p/w640-h360/_L4C5191-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>We stayed at the nearby Dreamcatcher B&B for two nights where we enjoyed fancy 5 course dinners each night and hearty breakfasts each morning. The night of our big hike happened to be the Inn's 20th anniversary so there was some extra celebrating and Baked Alaska.<br /><br />In the morning we said goodbye to the Chiricahuas and made a birdwatching stop at <a href="https://www.azgfd.com/wildlife/viewing/wheretogo/whitewater/" target="_blank">Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area</a> to see the Sandhill Cranes fly in shortly before noon. This is a wonderful out of the way birding location, although we were too early in the season to see migrant species. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaihMckH-hblr9Vt6pS0HO5IpNTXcPfcPw7dp5EB5bA8y2JmfxMs3_Fv-fXbUIxwB-1ycpA94KeosNG7Gr1glwkPSLv3hzdPkh30_XOz5XBm5vvK9IR8CNX2u8R2kkcrC_RB-ZfqPoJTS/s2048/_L4C5196-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaihMckH-hblr9Vt6pS0HO5IpNTXcPfcPw7dp5EB5bA8y2JmfxMs3_Fv-fXbUIxwB-1ycpA94KeosNG7Gr1glwkPSLv3hzdPkh30_XOz5XBm5vvK9IR8CNX2u8R2kkcrC_RB-ZfqPoJTS/w640-h360/_L4C5196-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of several bodies of water at Whitewater Draw</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGpCnZzm7ho5HEv1mJYvylSAfLawA6EsBwKbcO6_S3LNYFvBnXKiDs6uXCX3erYFs45DY5ntIadyqSVKiiMG3WuTC_3u6r3O36lweQCyiayK_spqGC-G-BRWYPstLMw5pECsM-z0YGXJ7/s2048/_L4C5407-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGpCnZzm7ho5HEv1mJYvylSAfLawA6EsBwKbcO6_S3LNYFvBnXKiDs6uXCX3erYFs45DY5ntIadyqSVKiiMG3WuTC_3u6r3O36lweQCyiayK_spqGC-G-BRWYPstLMw5pECsM-z0YGXJ7/w640-h426/_L4C5407-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandhill Cranes filling the sky!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaB4V4gsegX7VGqfY4XATsUGNgX5K0rCF0ZBqSZ3zgHSMKv9IGu4It6jhyphenhyphen4V2zZwhrTFxaAXmHvUJL6n_BDi5lpBX1lOFGi-bp0eYLZC-TuMAqlrS7X0dwBLRxglKCI8GzR_AsUEv35iDp/s2048/_L4C5427-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaB4V4gsegX7VGqfY4XATsUGNgX5K0rCF0ZBqSZ3zgHSMKv9IGu4It6jhyphenhyphen4V2zZwhrTFxaAXmHvUJL6n_BDi5lpBX1lOFGi-bp0eYLZC-TuMAqlrS7X0dwBLRxglKCI8GzR_AsUEv35iDp/w640-h360/_L4C5427-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandhills coming in to roost</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdvMG9zY9p3Ucmdrewq1vKuHcFut62gvKj5TVT2kGYSVlR4BTgLIoYUnUPeLKn_7T05HY2KDfe049JRcQCjhS2Ij3FLDIexhqO7RGV2kJTnw9L0NrqmCsruYMVVB5QxFqAGe2IJSzmoKN/s2048/_L4C5492-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdvMG9zY9p3Ucmdrewq1vKuHcFut62gvKj5TVT2kGYSVlR4BTgLIoYUnUPeLKn_7T05HY2KDfe049JRcQCjhS2Ij3FLDIexhqO7RGV2kJTnw9L0NrqmCsruYMVVB5QxFqAGe2IJSzmoKN/w640-h426/_L4C5492-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />There were a hundred or so cranes when we first arrived, but soon they started arriving in great numbers. We had never seen so many in flight at this time of day. It was quite a show!</div><div><br /></div><div>We drove on to for a late lunch at the Bisbee Queen Hotel where we had the best French dip sandwiches ever! We made a brief stop to look down into the nearby copper mine quarry.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRxQoCw6tufilG0dy1LDDwbaE0-WBOMzk_5u2-aSpZVwFXNOrYrgtWNYnbYXxPXt5J9nKrBjQoAzUv4-oKtGNdgZUgbTS-JUp7L5U3be-tO5vVGmBzANHhpdRmbCZvNjDIizE_Z9hyphenhyphen9Y9/s2048/IMG_2870.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="2048" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRxQoCw6tufilG0dy1LDDwbaE0-WBOMzk_5u2-aSpZVwFXNOrYrgtWNYnbYXxPXt5J9nKrBjQoAzUv4-oKtGNdgZUgbTS-JUp7L5U3be-tO5vVGmBzANHhpdRmbCZvNjDIizE_Z9hyphenhyphen9Y9/w640-h302/IMG_2870.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>We continued to our hotel in Sierra Vista via Tombstone, which was a a little touristy for our taste. After we walked the main street, and checked out Boothill Graveyard, we drove on to Sierra Vista.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLbJ84ijmzwHKwtpj9J9WiRvaehOXuQN7XhJMyqIek-t_F5zUOnWk6RpOrGONxRen2klgt42q8v__HvEs440qdLnW8mhXRjhCH9Udh8v8vGgn_zz8n2_V9vCTidg2vWuT83s6g3eJSs7n/s2048/_L4C5623-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLbJ84ijmzwHKwtpj9J9WiRvaehOXuQN7XhJMyqIek-t_F5zUOnWk6RpOrGONxRen2klgt42q8v__HvEs440qdLnW8mhXRjhCH9Udh8v8vGgn_zz8n2_V9vCTidg2vWuT83s6g3eJSs7n/w640-h426/_L4C5623-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main Street Tombstone</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUr4YLfFIGHybWo_LpZXFADhso8WDo81y3swYMYx_2TGDaaW4mLRAhqjRruM0nVjdVJhmWw8oZYOQYpT-Dv6xwIgdQRUJl1unaNCmQIGNqVOjKai69HAHJkq7swhpuA_SxBzuXnsL1drN/s2048/_L4C5630-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUr4YLfFIGHybWo_LpZXFADhso8WDo81y3swYMYx_2TGDaaW4mLRAhqjRruM0nVjdVJhmWw8oZYOQYpT-Dv6xwIgdQRUJl1unaNCmQIGNqVOjKai69HAHJkq7swhpuA_SxBzuXnsL1drN/w640-h426/_L4C5630-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tombstone Courthouse</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKyfyCqUs70IU6UphhJHzK7UUiw890bnMykhVI1tYycb5_Cl7PVy60Xz4co-LJBH2rTyqj0hxCpgXgOQSKS-lqCXRyigAn4xnCZ8lh8rdHOp51G7Gc5KpgIV-Fbh11Yi4zR4GZscz_HIB/s2048/_L4C5632-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKyfyCqUs70IU6UphhJHzK7UUiw890bnMykhVI1tYycb5_Cl7PVy60Xz4co-LJBH2rTyqj0hxCpgXgOQSKS-lqCXRyigAn4xnCZ8lh8rdHOp51G7Gc5KpgIV-Fbh11Yi4zR4GZscz_HIB/w640-h426/_L4C5632-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZBHwE8TGrZWuoXxx6Ha31MgSex-o6y-v-q0R4oindTJ4krzFZSUSQhaKeFgfBXrPjBQyhi42NnQZYFirNzxt6CVnSIdb17N95m4OUqcosaAdBwatT9I0AgI6u7e5NFU8oEc-ZHNl07lcJ/s2048/_L4C5631-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZBHwE8TGrZWuoXxx6Ha31MgSex-o6y-v-q0R4oindTJ4krzFZSUSQhaKeFgfBXrPjBQyhi42NnQZYFirNzxt6CVnSIdb17N95m4OUqcosaAdBwatT9I0AgI6u7e5NFU8oEc-ZHNl07lcJ/w640-h426/_L4C5631-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boothill Graveyard</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Next, we decided to head south to <a href="https://www.nps.gov/coro/index.htm" target="_blank">Coronado National Memorial</a> which sits on the Mexican border. We drove up the winding road to Montezuma Pass and walked out to the summit of Coronado Peak.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtE2EDwcTZwjKBAC3UVfo97L62w0iqFutkcAwlHrX4fA9R-RMTvAx8MEqrqHs1ByiVlRC9kzEkytTbelofBQvIHscI8N5eSBJZFwO-9XJooOJKZxyV66eLNVgGVxAb-A7BHMN1F-zuudQ/s2048/_L4C5640-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtE2EDwcTZwjKBAC3UVfo97L62w0iqFutkcAwlHrX4fA9R-RMTvAx8MEqrqHs1ByiVlRC9kzEkytTbelofBQvIHscI8N5eSBJZFwO-9XJooOJKZxyV66eLNVgGVxAb-A7BHMN1F-zuudQ/w640-h426/_L4C5640-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The road coming up to the summit of Coronado Peak</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlg0BkwDuMaWr_CoYbAdyNVlUcDokltVASF1cs5AEXrTYbrxxfKgs-5rZlJmUlMxydZt_r0V4Y04J1cXHktZT9TWZ2LDM6oHPBD0oZL28TBDxhKHSSfMjkpLeim6l555Rbl2bliqu0DHE/s2048/_L4C5644-Pano-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="2048" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlg0BkwDuMaWr_CoYbAdyNVlUcDokltVASF1cs5AEXrTYbrxxfKgs-5rZlJmUlMxydZt_r0V4Y04J1cXHktZT9TWZ2LDM6oHPBD0oZL28TBDxhKHSSfMjkpLeim6l555Rbl2bliqu0DHE/w640-h296/_L4C5644-Pano-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the summit</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br />The next morning we walked birding trails along the San Pedro River from <a href="https://www.blm.gov/visit/san-pedro-house" target="_blank">San Pedro House</a> before heading back to Willcox, AZ for the night. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdfRIOO7ZgzEQmC5Ehx3eFUQ014dGHFbzaiIEPdRjy42QuW32QHZiZur2CI5HwiWCt2C00ylNvE3NNoOuw0E5ZiZWHeCs_KkCaDobyufjZkC1c7efZq6lUkqhjgtCgccb67cWgHIslGG1/s2048/_L4C5674-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdfRIOO7ZgzEQmC5Ehx3eFUQ014dGHFbzaiIEPdRjy42QuW32QHZiZur2CI5HwiWCt2C00ylNvE3NNoOuw0E5ZiZWHeCs_KkCaDobyufjZkC1c7efZq6lUkqhjgtCgccb67cWgHIslGG1/w640-h640/_L4C5674-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gila Woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis) observed near the San Pedro River</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We hoped to see more Sandhills near Willcox, as we had noticed them circling above Twin Lakes on our way to the Chirichauas. We weren't disappointed!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UruRwWioKGIdA-KhH9UBfkzU-V12CyBJPG1-JwO8w3zz0t2Zehg_IgJsAXtskQJ8qFwaL4z9C0cFzfqwQnMviSdB8heUbUdsHGI9Xur69U9mZhzJyjxM9ErRJwIsHkglItZ5hEKU37Nn/s2048/_L4C5715-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UruRwWioKGIdA-KhH9UBfkzU-V12CyBJPG1-JwO8w3zz0t2Zehg_IgJsAXtskQJ8qFwaL4z9C0cFzfqwQnMviSdB8heUbUdsHGI9Xur69U9mZhzJyjxM9ErRJwIsHkglItZ5hEKU37Nn/w640-h426/_L4C5715-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzYPAu3uG2_GxwiDHUQt1o4tnivjECXdOmSI_NqcPmgNdxrhA63ACfyyMFi7Bgp8rSTEm8miD6_Ka1jGwY9Rc0Eof57DrDd6rbmXFhvhxAU_mkZGnEhI4vVt95RmZF1vkAKqJ7pa40dey/s2048/_L4C5810-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzYPAu3uG2_GxwiDHUQt1o4tnivjECXdOmSI_NqcPmgNdxrhA63ACfyyMFi7Bgp8rSTEm8miD6_Ka1jGwY9Rc0Eof57DrDd6rbmXFhvhxAU_mkZGnEhI4vVt95RmZF1vkAKqJ7pa40dey/w640-h400/_L4C5810-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandhills going down for the night near Willcox, AZ</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We were fortunate to have a beautiful sunset to watch them come in to roost. We also saw the largest flock of Yellow-headed Blackbirds we'd ever seen. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjZYJwIHEsI5M2bYrHgy_xOT3sdiWUJ2zZiDJqffNFPTtoDgt5f5OpaWhyphenhyphen4zK3gSbh_rCCpdkBsYAj_vODnmQpAL-ivnInXXFt4zEySh44RuihOb4-rTODMn3sQZ0bDS3LOaMn7mzq-YF/s2048/_L4C5786-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjZYJwIHEsI5M2bYrHgy_xOT3sdiWUJ2zZiDJqffNFPTtoDgt5f5OpaWhyphenhyphen4zK3gSbh_rCCpdkBsYAj_vODnmQpAL-ivnInXXFt4zEySh44RuihOb4-rTODMn3sQZ0bDS3LOaMn7mzq-YF/w640-h360/_L4C5786-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie44IWtLqrknfvG5a-8ukI9yV3H1nKn04NjmbIhsqyTE0_aMGJVgEcTs6f_AodJeZeV6Pk3nDHDjFSOzIZZvZz13tjR3nmjEhHt7c7RIvQdvjVOaa9n3ZTREXaE2Ks_A815QK2Evn11CSO/s2048/_L4C5928-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie44IWtLqrknfvG5a-8ukI9yV3H1nKn04NjmbIhsqyTE0_aMGJVgEcTs6f_AodJeZeV6Pk3nDHDjFSOzIZZvZz13tjR3nmjEhHt7c7RIvQdvjVOaa9n3ZTREXaE2Ks_A815QK2Evn11CSO/w640-h400/_L4C5928-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />We decided we would come back to southeast Arizona for birdwatching later in the year, and the next morning headed north via very scenic Route 191 all the way to Blanding, UT. It was a long day in the car, but well worth the time. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEda28HY6bWHo2gwt711tnGSnFB1pvvgde8A48yRPL6eV7t2py13i17gCGv1YzpZxnfUMEcJQHe0p6HbzMVAcsrrNokRbuaPBv-gYatLG6nhGzvBpWaCO-OgaS_63LXqs81_H1hYSf9MdM/s2048/IMG_9739.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEda28HY6bWHo2gwt711tnGSnFB1pvvgde8A48yRPL6eV7t2py13i17gCGv1YzpZxnfUMEcJQHe0p6HbzMVAcsrrNokRbuaPBv-gYatLG6nhGzvBpWaCO-OgaS_63LXqs81_H1hYSf9MdM/w640-h360/IMG_9739.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhUz-7p32aGWLbZW91kkf2SqoejTjsdCXErbKkhBnxldTvegu-Vami9RcoRe2pDMfxQKw_rPvMe1qQSX_AZR4LIYrcAYVIfHusMtAz3I0xwWxq15XkfnP8WpzvEEocQkankR-vfL9UxGt/s2048/_L4C6025-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhUz-7p32aGWLbZW91kkf2SqoejTjsdCXErbKkhBnxldTvegu-Vami9RcoRe2pDMfxQKw_rPvMe1qQSX_AZR4LIYrcAYVIfHusMtAz3I0xwWxq15XkfnP8WpzvEEocQkankR-vfL9UxGt/w640-h400/_L4C6025-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along Highway 191</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br />I guess we had forgotten about winter and were surprised to see so much snow around Blanding. The trail and road conditions changed our plans and we stayed just two nights. In Natural Bridges National Monument, we were unable to do the 8 mile canyon hike to all three bridges due to ice and river crossings, but had a nice walk nevertheless.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoiIiSfEilmqUHagHValcHYyxzcQuRaTERcwkZbPZrgC2nKe69z0SSoWmr8n82EjJr-_ZwSBHiNvF-u4g02mexAycX8j1umsNjBgV6GXGMR8wCF4xkIFY43gjU_mqTTz0yeLXaAGBguZu/s2048/_L4C6027-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoiIiSfEilmqUHagHValcHYyxzcQuRaTERcwkZbPZrgC2nKe69z0SSoWmr8n82EjJr-_ZwSBHiNvF-u4g02mexAycX8j1umsNjBgV6GXGMR8wCF4xkIFY43gjU_mqTTz0yeLXaAGBguZu/w640-h360/_L4C6027-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow Natural Bridges National Monument</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKgUKRvoCVKWB-yMvKg6E52r8yEN_M1S2o6ueoc6pBhmBE5_kw_LjVQK-qRmAmYYehyNQsbydqee-Dpui0Z2SCr3_6oeJnkxjRnrO1ia1bwFDO_Qj7W9y4i3y_K4dknQCwIV2VAGiSo5-/s2048/_L4C6030-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKgUKRvoCVKWB-yMvKg6E52r8yEN_M1S2o6ueoc6pBhmBE5_kw_LjVQK-qRmAmYYehyNQsbydqee-Dpui0Z2SCr3_6oeJnkxjRnrO1ia1bwFDO_Qj7W9y4i3y_K4dknQCwIV2VAGiSo5-/w640-h426/_L4C6030-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overview of the canyons at Natural Bridges</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODSrGUr9cHjM1UXjnO_y9G6JTXvncXpE0nVfDxmDNub0cG3ataSfTf2MDGx5iPPADiOhgAvx_JP66nYZYA4N_H81leN1CaVXnj_SAkEAqxtTEr-xfrGSQW7OtGADDIau05QeMTftee3p_/s2048/_L4C6041-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODSrGUr9cHjM1UXjnO_y9G6JTXvncXpE0nVfDxmDNub0cG3ataSfTf2MDGx5iPPADiOhgAvx_JP66nYZYA4N_H81leN1CaVXnj_SAkEAqxtTEr-xfrGSQW7OtGADDIau05QeMTftee3p_/w640-h426/_L4C6041-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Owachomo Bridge</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LEA1rOz2gw-vRX0oiBv5gwEq-bgya0FIuES1NiTQos3RTqQgfP6RMdrLooA7V1A3IaHfuz78wl2YlKbzE7JKRjZ0c0OrWbCyQd7U1Jr8imovMiaa75-AegaM8WtaJFQGhoTLkCgZpfEO/s2048/_L4C6054-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LEA1rOz2gw-vRX0oiBv5gwEq-bgya0FIuES1NiTQos3RTqQgfP6RMdrLooA7V1A3IaHfuz78wl2YlKbzE7JKRjZ0c0OrWbCyQd7U1Jr8imovMiaa75-AegaM8WtaJFQGhoTLkCgZpfEO/w640-h426/_L4C6054-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan on the other side of Owachomo Bridge </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCY5Ibn338BBwfEF4tOCc-dJ9ogYPzdLE1EwU8Oaiem1opk0gUYg2rUGnPDIx2mhtt_vCaihqMvngpoBDAAA-i9yop4BUL5vYfz3SzNPrEN3CKUdTY7hYGQ6i0y2OcZmZqb1XUUUHiY6f/s1796/Screen+Shot+2021-01-08+at+4.25.48+PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1286" data-original-width="1796" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCY5Ibn338BBwfEF4tOCc-dJ9ogYPzdLE1EwU8Oaiem1opk0gUYg2rUGnPDIx2mhtt_vCaihqMvngpoBDAAA-i9yop4BUL5vYfz3SzNPrEN3CKUdTY7hYGQ6i0y2OcZmZqb1XUUUHiY6f/w640-h458/Screen+Shot+2021-01-08+at+4.25.48+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our hike through Owachomo Bridge down into Tuwa Canyon. <br />We had to turn around due to too much ice and snow.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>In the afternoon we hiked into Mule Canyon, part of the new <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/bears-ears-national-monument" target="_blank">Bears Ears National Monument</a>. We stopped at the Mule Canyon Ruin, an Anasazi site just off the main road, before hitting the trail. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCpLMeHbAdXstYaSlE0cJwpjNqIYF86jb_9EpQwdXaKeKOKF9ta1tNky1y6Vdtf3DHG1jUgDfI6EP9YR4HEijoBuJKcgvOHxEhaXa5jFG4RH8lrE3hnvjX70zwNZTcnXjanHT1c0KHW5Vs/s2048/_L4C6058-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="2048" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCpLMeHbAdXstYaSlE0cJwpjNqIYF86jb_9EpQwdXaKeKOKF9ta1tNky1y6Vdtf3DHG1jUgDfI6EP9YR4HEijoBuJKcgvOHxEhaXa5jFG4RH8lrE3hnvjX70zwNZTcnXjanHT1c0KHW5Vs/w640-h376/_L4C6058-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh673Ni6pABSEvb80JAW6dQsIxfTuFGNvOvsezEbE4pfrTtMd-l-J99v03FSeGBMTdL1-3i3kSiHmP8rwLuWSUwCaCH0sCFRPupCJvGGEFJVIPV8Fyl2PLfQ66HA6mFAocM3TQCsOd3XHOh/s2048/_L4C6061-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh673Ni6pABSEvb80JAW6dQsIxfTuFGNvOvsezEbE4pfrTtMd-l-J99v03FSeGBMTdL1-3i3kSiHmP8rwLuWSUwCaCH0sCFRPupCJvGGEFJVIPV8Fyl2PLfQ66HA6mFAocM3TQCsOd3XHOh/w640-h426/_L4C6061-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mule Canyon Ruin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBo3nuzSO2koOEGAnoWVrLRS79qGWFXxRMe1t4Ct1qGrfHAldvDC4gma1irdIH3TMoaaU4imDL_gnh8N0aWkzq7ckj2OZQYQSR57iMekH75ytkvNXNa0S_lbF_3E2NxeFt52iyVRkQ8TFv/s2048/_L4C6063-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBo3nuzSO2koOEGAnoWVrLRS79qGWFXxRMe1t4Ct1qGrfHAldvDC4gma1irdIH3TMoaaU4imDL_gnh8N0aWkzq7ckj2OZQYQSR57iMekH75ytkvNXNa0S_lbF_3E2NxeFt52iyVRkQ8TFv/w640-h426/_L4C6063-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kiva at the Mule Canyon Ruin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>We hiked in as far as the first ruins, "House on Fire." It was an easy 1.2 miles each way of mostly flat hiking, though there was water, snow and ice on the trail. We were happy to have our trekking poles and microspikes. There were no other people hiking that day and we relished the solitude and beauty of the canyon.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEwiWr_A4TzD4LquC_WAynoWPKUDDE_J2U1Y2MqqwcuAlIW0x_wEdaUxB3ObEIbuFkLsC1abJXA604tOU6IAVpone1w_kr0M74m2VDqZunJGKJW9yzg1rjpbGEOJoLMRwMkFmUqH9m7Hd/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-01-08+at+4.43.21+PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="2048" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEwiWr_A4TzD4LquC_WAynoWPKUDDE_J2U1Y2MqqwcuAlIW0x_wEdaUxB3ObEIbuFkLsC1abJXA604tOU6IAVpone1w_kr0M74m2VDqZunJGKJW9yzg1rjpbGEOJoLMRwMkFmUqH9m7Hd/w640-h420/Screen+Shot+2021-01-08+at+4.43.21+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map/track of our hike to House on Fire</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQX5DJ4rgOmburYljXWJb4tztQTo49AIHC5A5erDugJ7B8Ldhsvo-EJ60OdqAJbOSFfvSpLKRZIV5D0EgRhDw8dGF4xKEHVt-1lUb_EdGbvXpYScp1x5o7KLZWTr2U94azvbJqA1O61FO/s2048/IMG_2905.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQX5DJ4rgOmburYljXWJb4tztQTo49AIHC5A5erDugJ7B8Ldhsvo-EJ60OdqAJbOSFfvSpLKRZIV5D0EgRhDw8dGF4xKEHVt-1lUb_EdGbvXpYScp1x5o7KLZWTr2U94azvbJqA1O61FO/w640-h360/IMG_2905.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our snowy parking space at the start of the hike into Mule Canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFl1KVvHRj6TUKw7UYq2ghBH0K9IRWqrBCJJX4YaLjm8l3B4ssF0cmR8fhWyGxGNuEwlW_cwvRmlBgCV7phS2kRhXxTtVwJzRA_QlGi1ks4tNpsM5KBxQETnSyiBY3R9l666JkeSttB7a/s2048/IMG_2919.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFl1KVvHRj6TUKw7UYq2ghBH0K9IRWqrBCJJX4YaLjm8l3B4ssF0cmR8fhWyGxGNuEwlW_cwvRmlBgCV7phS2kRhXxTtVwJzRA_QlGi1ks4tNpsM5KBxQETnSyiBY3R9l666JkeSttB7a/w640-h480/IMG_2919.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan, on the trail, such as it was</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdidoTKikaXrf5A_MjPBN8EtAbauQIOVYE2C5eyYA7d3jUmUsB9bTHHECC-AegjABHCw38qRNdWuopw1lDGwtUnHIlWGYjuaIWmFx-MQ1qyc-WMKqNuZAqCW2Tv09y0qazhzAbvgk1f8G/s2048/_L4C6085-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdidoTKikaXrf5A_MjPBN8EtAbauQIOVYE2C5eyYA7d3jUmUsB9bTHHECC-AegjABHCw38qRNdWuopw1lDGwtUnHIlWGYjuaIWmFx-MQ1qyc-WMKqNuZAqCW2Tv09y0qazhzAbvgk1f8G/w640-h426/_L4C6085-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The complete site at House on Fire</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvnJ8wQtv3ijLSPl7hDjfkRS-kylPAa5Xo1s-RKF3yNkVLZEnfeLkkcRNk2SGNTwbKUvLshrm0P2kxCk8MU7ZzbOp8DCaO-psl_LEGKNOyZ2OmldmVQ6BVoEboNVH8zh_sQ-HIsvxIdve/s2048/_L4C6076-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1792" data-original-width="2048" height="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvnJ8wQtv3ijLSPl7hDjfkRS-kylPAa5Xo1s-RKF3yNkVLZEnfeLkkcRNk2SGNTwbKUvLshrm0P2kxCk8MU7ZzbOp8DCaO-psl_LEGKNOyZ2OmldmVQ6BVoEboNVH8zh_sQ-HIsvxIdve/w640-h560/_L4C6076-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easy to see how "House on Fire" got its name</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1I6IQDaUH2jwJGWic0PNDqjwT8TF2iDjSodXoLDYza2kALNwzzMOrqBhj3gg8SOGxmOTHiv_1vB6Uk6TCRr8AfWGjWRClcK4caugGNDEFNwXLLLDZKZ-D8J7MFutMQM719qIAqIA6DCij/s2048/_L4C6111-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1I6IQDaUH2jwJGWic0PNDqjwT8TF2iDjSodXoLDYza2kALNwzzMOrqBhj3gg8SOGxmOTHiv_1vB6Uk6TCRr8AfWGjWRClcK4caugGNDEFNwXLLLDZKZ-D8J7MFutMQM719qIAqIA6DCij/w640-h426/_L4C6111-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We hiked just around the bend from House on Fire but were <br />running out of daylight, so reluctantly turned around.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />With a winter storm warning in Summit County, we decided to leave early the next morning for home. It was a really fun trip, and as frequently happens, we discovered as many new things to add to our list as we checked off. <style type="text/css">
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</style></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYqa1bkUdFRnhM03wjMemwGLDsAhIOj4DkIwX9CcbMPLKFzMuHSgfT1ZqtuVjhGHuzc01-ZEF1Ku1X_ZHmGnCfYL6umOLcVRYaFCxkHw57O8jH3ZzSQhn-OKg9zwxFSTQrO_91ePkF6Fv/s2048/_L4C6060-2k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYqa1bkUdFRnhM03wjMemwGLDsAhIOj4DkIwX9CcbMPLKFzMuHSgfT1ZqtuVjhGHuzc01-ZEF1Ku1X_ZHmGnCfYL6umOLcVRYaFCxkHw57O8jH3ZzSQhn-OKg9zwxFSTQrO_91ePkF6Fv/w640-h640/_L4C6060-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div></div>Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-53651468624881966152016-09-01T13:06:00.000-07:002017-06-19T10:49:58.596-07:00Hike to Black Lake and BeyondIn the mid-nineties, when I first began hiking, one of my first "big" ones in <a href="https://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm" target="_blank">Rocky Mountain National Park</a> was the ten mile hike up to Black Lake, in Glacier Gorge.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click this map or any picture to see a larger image</td></tr>
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I did the hike in June, 1996 which is still pretty early to be above 9,000 ft, as there was plenty of snow on the trail. I call hikes like this "wet hikes" as there is much in the way of water along the way: Glacier Creek, Alberta Falls, Mills Lake, Jewel Lake, Glacier Creek, and of course Black Lake.<br />
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The first time I did the hike I was blown away by the views about 4 miles in -- The view of Stone Man Pass, McHenrys Peak, and Arrowhead were very dramatic. I snapped a pretty decent photo in about 1996 with my last film camera. The picture came out so well that I used it on my business card for Mountain Data Systems. Later that year, I met my friend <a href="http://www.rmconnection.com/" target="_blank">Ernie</a> and when I handed him the card, he immediately knew where it was taken. And we've since hiked up into Glacier Gorge together, both in the summer and winter.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just below Black Lake in Glacier Gorge, June 1996</td></tr>
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Glacier Gorge continues to be my favorite hiking area in Rocky, and I never tire of its beauty. So when I had the chance this month, I left my house for the trailhead about 6:30am. When I rounded the curve near Moraine Park I was greeted with ground fog with morning light on Longs Peak. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longs Peak, above Moraine Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Glacier Gorge trailhead</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alberta Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the trail past Alberta Falls. Thatchtop Mountain at left</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along the trail before Mills Lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mills Lake, with Longs Peak and the spires called Keyboard of the Winds (taken on the way down)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D0no1SSZ1Do/V9B5L2EJUgI/AAAAAAABmeI/msbWkQTahxEQDpzFpzwwEv49MCmjOszXgCPcB/s1600/_L4C0455-HDR-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D0no1SSZ1Do/V9B5L2EJUgI/AAAAAAABmeI/msbWkQTahxEQDpzFpzwwEv49MCmjOszXgCPcB/s640/_L4C0455-HDR-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along Glacier Creek near the Shelf Creek drainage</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tbMj4EfJAmo/V9B7N1wwQ3I/AAAAAAABmec/y4BTTg2KU8sajfrOGc6Db1Yb8bXJWHFUACPcB/s1600/IMG_1564-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tbMj4EfJAmo/V9B7N1wwQ3I/AAAAAAABmec/y4BTTg2KU8sajfrOGc6Db1Yb8bXJWHFUACPcB/s640/IMG_1564-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">iPhone shot similar to my business card image from 1996</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zl_-vOv-DVY/V9B5Lx8PiHI/AAAAAAABmeI/boVcxRR6MwoyqWOzSTQkf4HjO8yqWs7cgCPcB/s1600/_L4C0469-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zl_-vOv-DVY/V9B5Lx8PiHI/AAAAAAABmeI/boVcxRR6MwoyqWOzSTQkf4HjO8yqWs7cgCPcB/s640/_L4C0469-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stone Pass upper left, Ribbon Falls, McHenrys Peak and Arrowhead</td></tr>
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I lingered here at Ribbon Falls, taking various shots of the falls with McHenrys in the background. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbd_Uuuh791jqMm7NbeitwF0jnFjz_SkZlqGxb7u06njqAiKHea7bQqVv1J8jeVcfVl3OvPD6fdtqLo78NjPosA6msNZpGPhzr2-f85maNwiyXf-cKIqKVhJvtppEMZyRaFUl77VOIj56/s1600/_L4C0480-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbd_Uuuh791jqMm7NbeitwF0jnFjz_SkZlqGxb7u06njqAiKHea7bQqVv1J8jeVcfVl3OvPD6fdtqLo78NjPosA6msNZpGPhzr2-f85maNwiyXf-cKIqKVhJvtppEMZyRaFUl77VOIj56/s640/_L4C0480-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ribbon Falls with McHenrys and Arrowhead</td></tr>
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While I was shooting here, another hiker showed up, so we stopped to chat. He introduced himself as Hiroki, from Japan, and we took each others pictures here. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1rHw_yPOv9M/V9B9Yjlyf9I/AAAAAAABme8/-_iXksojvckD0eA7orb1NLkUP24jL6mCgCPcB/s1600/_L4C0483-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1rHw_yPOv9M/V9B9Yjlyf9I/AAAAAAABme8/-_iXksojvckD0eA7orb1NLkUP24jL6mCgCPcB/s640/_L4C0483-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, just below Black Lake. Thanks, Hiroki! :-)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SDjuNab-52I/V9B8ShVmuBI/AAAAAAABmeo/fS1AUgfO3bATWEy2GUsRjVeSNvbriSeBwCPcB/s1600/IMG_1571-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SDjuNab-52I/V9B8ShVmuBI/AAAAAAABmeo/fS1AUgfO3bATWEy2GUsRjVeSNvbriSeBwCPcB/s640/IMG_1571-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiroki in my panorama shot after arriving at Black Lake</td></tr>
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After a short snack break at Black Lake, I started up the drainage climbing up above the lake to a rock we have affectionately named "Mike's Rock" because I've taken so many people up to it. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NIQPD8CDGFw/V9B-fG3pq8I/AAAAAAABmfI/4-POMDY1FRYhl5dP_5lBfegK2vBj6NLuwCPcB/s1600/_L4C0488-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NIQPD8CDGFw/V9B-fG3pq8I/AAAAAAABmfI/4-POMDY1FRYhl5dP_5lBfegK2vBj6NLuwCPcB/s640/_L4C0488-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back down to Black Lake on the way up the drainage</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XefE3iUxQuQ/V9B-64JxeWI/AAAAAAABmfY/EDqtPXpdgOIWwo17Cn95pmXbOKs3P4lBQCPcB/s1600/_L4C0509-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XefE3iUxQuQ/V9B-64JxeWI/AAAAAAABmfY/EDqtPXpdgOIWwo17Cn95pmXbOKs3P4lBQCPcB/s640/_L4C0509-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Mike's Rock" at left, straddling the drainage and overlooking Black Lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bhtm93kWLoM/V9B-oJqWZ0I/AAAAAAABmfQ/VpoPU9fL_-kUmsPsoAkwlEq-XkbINdPhwCPcB/s1600/_L4C0498-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bhtm93kWLoM/V9B-oJqWZ0I/AAAAAAABmfQ/VpoPU9fL_-kUmsPsoAkwlEq-XkbINdPhwCPcB/s640/_L4C0498-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying my lunch</td></tr>
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After a break, and more photography, I wandered around near Blue Lake, but due to time, I didn't visit it this hike.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S0lIuoZfpjc/V9CAResTRtI/AAAAAAABmfk/hOnnSdNzXBsXS-pOYmi56LPDnz6RRoeewCPcB/s1600/_L4C0524-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S0lIuoZfpjc/V9CAResTRtI/AAAAAAABmfk/hOnnSdNzXBsXS-pOYmi56LPDnz6RRoeewCPcB/s640/_L4C0524-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above the drainage to Black Lake; Longs Peak and Keyboard of the Winds </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IpE4YyVVzVE/V9CBNh_HVYI/AAAAAAABmfs/Qr6c7DbV2LMBEJufgCRH9-cuwngOmlrpwCPcB/s1600/IMG_1581-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IpE4YyVVzVE/V9CBNh_HVYI/AAAAAAABmfs/Qr6c7DbV2LMBEJufgCRH9-cuwngOmlrpwCPcB/s640/IMG_1581-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view to the North, back up Glacier Gorge</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vI1qWUf4x8k/V9CBSZGFZAI/AAAAAAABmf0/JsZ_Is9rMdQQvDVdjRSIO_eAZd2bQhJ_ACPcB/s1600/IMG_1577-3K.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vI1qWUf4x8k/V9CBSZGFZAI/AAAAAAABmf0/JsZ_Is9rMdQQvDVdjRSIO_eAZd2bQhJ_ACPcB/s640/IMG_1577-3K.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pano from just below Blue Lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JYg6ocfo9oY/V9B5L37AGLI/AAAAAAABmeI/5rI97N1zG6Qe2QxlE0YFE0WC7ew4wnO6ACPcB/s1600/_L4C0531-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JYg6ocfo9oY/V9B5L37AGLI/AAAAAAABmeI/5rI97N1zG6Qe2QxlE0YFE0WC7ew4wnO6ACPcB/s640/_L4C0531-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way down: some of the last blooms of Fireweed</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4DQH2Pp3w2Y/V9B5L2-ch5I/AAAAAAABmeI/ZpCbuWutlHYzP_SHCw1tzPnejAOIZWZLwCPcB/s1600/_L4C0545-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4DQH2Pp3w2Y/V9B5L2-ch5I/AAAAAAABmeI/ZpCbuWutlHYzP_SHCw1tzPnejAOIZWZLwCPcB/s640/_L4C0545-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mini-waterfall in the drainage</td></tr>
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Reluctantly, I left Black Lake and headed down, stopping once to filter some water out of Glacier Creek. </div>
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I took a slight detour to take in all of Jewel Lake. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EIsCwoLeFsg/V9CDRDceGOI/AAAAAAABmgI/ETPwYTwYp9YKkzDMXjsyPU_lY-XyLvjpgCPcB/s1600/IMG_1616-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EIsCwoLeFsg/V9CDRDceGOI/AAAAAAABmgI/ETPwYTwYp9YKkzDMXjsyPU_lY-XyLvjpgCPcB/s640/IMG_1616-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jewel Lake, just above Mills Lake</td></tr>
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I took one last break to shoot this small waterfall not far from Alberta Falls. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NoxfvO3_Nv4/V9B5L6ddHNI/AAAAAAABmeI/m4NUX7I1yNgrct-D3e-fCWWmIinfJqWvQCPcB/s1600/_L4C0563-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NoxfvO3_Nv4/V9B5L6ddHNI/AAAAAAABmeI/m4NUX7I1yNgrct-D3e-fCWWmIinfJqWvQCPcB/s640/_L4C0563-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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This hike never fails to amaze and recharge me, but I was tired and happy to get back to my car. </div>
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Here's the elevation/speed profile for the hike.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c3S2VUPzpL8/V9CFJfR6lnI/AAAAAAABmgg/eqshZxLgOCkjTebQEXr0hZtuls6pA4yugCPcB/s1600/Black%2BLake%2BProfile.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="434" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c3S2VUPzpL8/V9CFJfR6lnI/AAAAAAABmgg/eqshZxLgOCkjTebQEXr0hZtuls6pA4yugCPcB/s640/Black%2BLake%2BProfile.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As you can see, I can easily turn a 6 hr hike into an 9 hr hike :-)<br />
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Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com6Glacier Gorge, Estes Park, CO 80517, USA40.2911081 -105.6418249999999840.242658600000006 -105.72250599999998 40.3395576 -105.56114399999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-45650599279534473142016-08-12T12:35:00.000-07:002018-03-11T15:12:53.040-07:00Perseids in Rocky Mountain National ParkIt's really fun to be outside at night under the stars, especially when skies are dark, and the Perseids come out to play!<br />
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This year's Perseids meteor show was hyped up to be unusually good, with a closer approach of comet Swift-Tuttle's tail debris passing through Earth's orbit.<br />
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We went to Walden, Colorado in 2013 to <a href="http://www.justournature.com/2013/08/dark-sky-and-perseids-meteor-shower-aug.html" target="_blank">observe and photograph the Perseids</a>, but this year stayed close to home. The sky in Rocky Mountain National Park isn't as dark as Walden, but once the moon set, it was dark enough to get a good show.<br />
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At about 11:30pm on Aug 11, I drove up Trail Ridge Road, stopping at Many Parks Curve, Rainbow Curve, Forest Canyon Overlook, and Milner Pass before turning around to head home and get some sleep.<br />
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As always, click on an image for a larger version.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o-ZBsIsHrF4/V695lkcn9YI/AAAAAAABlMw/zlVwBHLLdxE6k1B6ujh-t0cwM_zS6sVpACPcB/s1600/_L4C0212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o-ZBsIsHrF4/V695lkcn9YI/AAAAAAABlMw/zlVwBHLLdxE6k1B6ujh-t0cwM_zS6sVpACPcB/s640/_L4C0212.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Many Parks Curve, looking east towards Estes Park and the plains. Deer Mountain center, YMCA far right</td></tr>
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Here are some of the night shots I got during my outing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-48f4H96GMfU/V698RPdWjjI/AAAAAAABlNI/Edy3SohDnZkJPmea2_p7DfYdK0D2KoBRACPcB/s1600/_L4C0217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-48f4H96GMfU/V698RPdWjjI/AAAAAAABlNI/Edy3SohDnZkJPmea2_p7DfYdK0D2KoBRACPcB/s640/_L4C0217.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking northwest from Many Parks Curve</td></tr>
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Even with the bright moonlight, you could still see Andromeda (top center in above photo).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Many Parks Curve. YMCA of the Rockies at lower left</td></tr>
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The moon was illuminating the clouds as the passed overhead going east. I went west from here. Rainbow Curve was very crowded, so I drove on up the road, climbing higher and deeper into the park.<br />
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At the Forest Canyon Overlook, I found several cars in the parking lot, with a couple sitting in lawn chairs near their car. I decided to stop and walk out to the overlook. The moon was almost bright enough that I didn't need my headlamp. When I got to the end of the paved path, I found I had it all to myself!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vLl5kHib-_g/V69-uwgzm7I/AAAAAAABlNg/VpVn868Paagdo548KZB_9QT8vZEqEkkOgCPcB/s1600/_L4C0236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vLl5kHib-_g/V69-uwgzm7I/AAAAAAABlNg/VpVn868Paagdo548KZB_9QT8vZEqEkkOgCPcB/s640/_L4C0236.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my moonlight shadow (bottom right) near the Forest Canyon Overlook</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiec_uMuNsYo9NhM6MQOw0f_iyVP4YkKFeF3nHYwObnR-wa_MDhrAXRPTilrr5B1T0m8Yev5A0merSleN979JkAe9yjwHgqnLpK64cjhB81au7QT3HZ4QAbnMgTahG8jhOfqjwWQKgDwAGT/s1600/_L4C0253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiec_uMuNsYo9NhM6MQOw0f_iyVP4YkKFeF3nHYwObnR-wa_MDhrAXRPTilrr5B1T0m8Yev5A0merSleN979JkAe9yjwHgqnLpK64cjhB81au7QT3HZ4QAbnMgTahG8jhOfqjwWQKgDwAGT/s640/_L4C0253.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A meteor streaks by at far right center of frame</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oWPGxEIJY34/V6-BwqlXvwI/AAAAAAABlOQ/NbfqD_Y-HSwXEibv4BD73qgLWf6Rdw-9gCPcB/s1600/_L4C0239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oWPGxEIJY34/V6-BwqlXvwI/AAAAAAABlOQ/NbfqD_Y-HSwXEibv4BD73qgLWf6Rdw-9gCPcB/s640/_L4C0239.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking east from Forest Canyon; Longs Peak with moon shadows, too!</td></tr>
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After I bit I went on down the road, finding Rock Cut to be too busy, so I drove on to the Lava Cliffs overlook. It was busy too, but I want to be here as the moon set.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_3bil2eNlhI/V6-AOUkwujI/AAAAAAABlOA/cXagXKT9UGkqvITT0ueJuJ2T_522qjwkACPcB/s1600/_L4C0274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_3bil2eNlhI/V6-AOUkwujI/AAAAAAABlOA/cXagXKT9UGkqvITT0ueJuJ2T_522qjwkACPcB/s640/_L4C0274.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another meteor at left</td></tr>
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Finally, the moon went down and began to get a lot darker, making the Milky "pop" quite a bit more.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fc-N5JGbt0U/V6-DaAS7JeI/AAAAAAABlOs/qwORSDZaVE8C6BhgOr81YYaNk4de--U9gCPcB/s1600/_L4C0322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fc-N5JGbt0U/V6-DaAS7JeI/AAAAAAABlOs/qwORSDZaVE8C6BhgOr81YYaNk4de--U9gCPcB/s640/_L4C0322.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My car with the Milky Way over it</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6diNpGi2D9I/V6-DUpvMUzI/AAAAAAABlOk/2v7CSvaA8Z4QPIRfK2Je-gvKg0zZ29-dQCPcB/s1600/_L4C0330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6diNpGi2D9I/V6-DUpvMUzI/AAAAAAABlOk/2v7CSvaA8Z4QPIRfK2Je-gvKg0zZ29-dQCPcB/s640/_L4C0330.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meteor at left; Ypsilon, Chiquita, Chapin peaks at far right</td></tr>
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Some of the people at the Lava Cliffs parking were walking around with their headlamps, so I decided to move on. I skipped the Alpine Visitors Center which had about 20 cars in the lot, and also drove on past Medicine Bow Curve.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D3-VVdbnYE8/V6-FtbUsOJI/AAAAAAABlPE/tqmtAArVhlk4BrHVOdGOjm1oWz21x54xgCPcB/s1600/_L4C0334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D3-VVdbnYE8/V6-FtbUsOJI/AAAAAAABlPE/tqmtAArVhlk4BrHVOdGOjm1oWz21x54xgCPcB/s640/_L4C0334.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Milky Way over the parking lot at Milner Pass</td></tr>
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I stopped at Milner Pass, where I had the whole place to myself. It was very dark here, now, with only starlight illuminating my path. I used my red headlamp to preserve my night vision.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pyWJqYG7yq0/V6-Gwe4fZCI/AAAAAAABlPU/LufjbUGr9x8YNyiFQDrZqQq2tFkkDbBOwCPcB/s1600/_L4C0335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pyWJqYG7yq0/V6-Gwe4fZCI/AAAAAAABlPU/LufjbUGr9x8YNyiFQDrZqQq2tFkkDbBOwCPcB/s640/_L4C0335.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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I decided to setup to shoot some pictures with Poudre Lake in the foreground and was soon rewarded with a meteor reflecting on the lake.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meteor over Poudre Lake</td></tr>
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At one point, just as I had finished re-adjusting the framing of the camera on the tripod, I saw an incredible bright meteor flash by, but I didn't have an exposure going. I tripped the shutter release, and was still able to capture the "smoke" that still hung in the atmosphere!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4IJP4uM4x-Q/V6-IhLLodsI/AAAAAAABlPs/vjJ_61Ca3rsLsJ-0eEyOSCsTfa3VrUgWQCPcB/s1600/_L4C0348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4IJP4uM4x-Q/V6-IhLLodsI/AAAAAAABlPs/vjJ_61Ca3rsLsJ-0eEyOSCsTfa3VrUgWQCPcB/s640/_L4C0348.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meteor "smoke" at top center; it hung there for over 4 minutes!</td></tr>
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Soon, I realized that the moisture evaporating off Poudre Lake was fogging my lens, so I packed up at about 1:30am and headed east. Again, I skipped Medicine Bow Curve and the AVC, and didn't stop again until Rainbow Curve, where I joined the still active party of observers and photographers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W44_vSQOD7Y/V6-KbSUKfLI/AAAAAAABlQI/PLrFHkOGv7waOnGbN-VGj-c8B-8eoU9SwCPcB/s1600/_L4C0367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W44_vSQOD7Y/V6-KbSUKfLI/AAAAAAABlQI/PLrFHkOGv7waOnGbN-VGj-c8B-8eoU9SwCPcB/s640/_L4C0367.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking east from Rainbow Curve; light curves are cars on Trail Ridge Road at 2am!</td></tr>
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As I had done earlier, I setup my gear to shoot continuously, hoping to catch a big meteor, and it wasn't long before I was rewarded with this shot, the best one I captured of the night.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5O4fGw08mrw/V6-KbSMQzRI/AAAAAAABlQI/tR-DpYsDlOMIsjwb2BHCW49FJk6CWAhSQCPcB/s1600/_L4C0412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5O4fGw08mrw/V6-KbSMQzRI/AAAAAAABlQI/tR-DpYsDlOMIsjwb2BHCW49FJk6CWAhSQCPcB/s640/_L4C0412.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This huge meteor streak left it's own little smoke cloud for several seconds</td></tr>
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I was getting pretty tired, so at about 3:30am I packed up and drove back home, but couldn't resist taking a shot of our house before I went inside to hit the sack!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X_2eYLJ2JyI/V6-KbTAoyDI/AAAAAAABlQI/ZBD6NwmXrR42gFNCojrWh2DJnouWwHoJQCPcB/s1600/_L4C0424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X_2eYLJ2JyI/V6-KbTAoyDI/AAAAAAABlQI/ZBD6NwmXrR42gFNCojrWh2DJnouWwHoJQCPcB/s640/_L4C0424.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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It was a very fun night!<br />
<br />Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com2Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado 80517, USA40.3427932 -105.683638915.822802200000002 -146.9922329 64.862784200000007 -64.3750449tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-80312094084631363152016-07-13T10:59:00.000-07:002016-07-14T13:45:44.743-07:00Twin Sisters landslideYesterday I took a short hike up the Twin Sisters trail. It's 1.5 miles and a few hundred feet of gain to the landslide caused by the 2013 Colorado Flood.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWrr0NxTyqyVu2E8oC4E-zASgbmnZOmrQcMTPjMuPDGcssPEGk6uL4nHWhBGfRFdUewAqPhvgkdgxFIusKMzpdv33XJhE4L8LiAsem12FEDNCfZS_mZSuvQpt5YP1rZGbQxmGAAqyYT9D/s1600/IMG_1361-2K.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWrr0NxTyqyVu2E8oC4E-zASgbmnZOmrQcMTPjMuPDGcssPEGk6uL4nHWhBGfRFdUewAqPhvgkdgxFIusKMzpdv33XJhE4L8LiAsem12FEDNCfZS_mZSuvQpt5YP1rZGbQxmGAAqyYT9D/s640/IMG_1361-2K.jpg" /></a></div>
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Left to right: Mt Meeker (13,916'), Longs Peak (14,259'), Mt Lady Washington (13,281'), Battle Mountain (12,041'), Estes Cone (11,006').<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7B5Sa5giaL84Xa8vow-d5XkK5SWOEVl6GNXsXfBLA9ngQ9Veb5u-cTPG_Bg7H8MVEVJQhZXr2zT-Z10EnpYheIx5j34NmYPyB8s6mpIMj2ELqRvxdS8N9tOQiOaK63pCSYo7tKIgt_ig/s1600/_L4C9710-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7B5Sa5giaL84Xa8vow-d5XkK5SWOEVl6GNXsXfBLA9ngQ9Veb5u-cTPG_Bg7H8MVEVJQhZXr2zT-Z10EnpYheIx5j34NmYPyB8s6mpIMj2ELqRvxdS8N9tOQiOaK63pCSYo7tKIgt_ig/s640/_L4C9710-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longs Peak, 5.2 mi away (105mm focal length)</td></tr>
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This photo was taken standing in the middle of the landslide (the trail crosses it) and shows the devastation that almost reached Aspen Lodge. To get a sense of scale, try to spot the pickup truck at the edge of the trees where the debris field forks to the right (about 4 o'clock from Aspen Lodge).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJLoSwJIQk8TGIkDu_8g805nwjmGAFyOn9dsUd2Rvgc71kyjHPgLzPYX47pxKFYLU9PxGuZJoZvIDwoYRjDeQ7irL9r91-7ObKPIqFpMFTnFQmNGicY3_kiQUdZRc-i4WKlWiujv_XCSr/s1600/IMG_1360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJLoSwJIQk8TGIkDu_8g805nwjmGAFyOn9dsUd2Rvgc71kyjHPgLzPYX47pxKFYLU9PxGuZJoZvIDwoYRjDeQ7irL9r91-7ObKPIqFpMFTnFQmNGicY3_kiQUdZRc-i4WKlWiujv_XCSr/s640/IMG_1360.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">iPhone panorama shot from the landslide debris field</span></td></tr>
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The other photo shows the Twin Sisters landslide I was standing on, viewed from the summit of Estes Cone, 1.93 miles away. This shot was taken on a <a href="http://www.justournature.com/2014/10/hike-to-estes-cone-oct-23.html">hike to Estes Cone</a> with <a href="http://www.morsephotography.com/" target="_blank">Tim Morse</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebyX8KQ1DOAwyVbYY6au2QeNLd_IowUFv6gWHN3e0AwYGtwvNOwKAUeyuEJDIcyjfVfWUZrI68j7aRE3swmm2jkent0okhy3KebcEgC7tUUkU_1eyxkJq0Y6kdBKtMPeyfrFkA4HOHPKH/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-14+at+10.28.49.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebyX8KQ1DOAwyVbYY6au2QeNLd_IowUFv6gWHN3e0AwYGtwvNOwKAUeyuEJDIcyjfVfWUZrI68j7aRE3swmm2jkent0okhy3KebcEgC7tUUkU_1eyxkJq0Y6kdBKtMPeyfrFkA4HOHPKH/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-07-14+at+10.28.49.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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The third image is the aerial view of the hike and landslide, courtesy of Google Maps satellite view. As you can see from the GPS track, I went a little beyond the landslide. The hike was just over 3.5 miles with about 900 feet of gain/loss.<br />
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Here's another photo looking up at the landslide debris field. </div>
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Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-47656388867767918012016-07-08T10:10:00.000-07:002016-07-11T12:20:40.420-07:00Pop goes the weasel!Susan and I have seen our fair share of Colorado wildlife, but one little mammal has mostly eluded us until recently.<br />
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A few years ago in the alpine tundra, near the Tundra World Nature Trail near Rock Cut in Rocky Mountain National Park, we caught fleeting glimpses of a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-tailed_weasel" target="_blank">long-tailed weasel</a>. But it moved too fast in and out of the rocks for us to get a very good look at it and it was impossible to photograph it.<br />
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One morning, Susan was looking out the window and caught some motion in our front yard and when she zeroed in on it, she saw it was a long-tailed weasel, the first one either of us had ever observed in our yard. But this one too was on the move and it quickly disappeared from our yard and crossed the street and into the tall grass. I didn't get to see it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long-tailed Weasel in the yard</td></tr>
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The next day morning, I happened to be looking out the window and saw a line composed over several weasels moving through the yard. I watched them gather near a hole in a concrete retaining wall next to the foundation of our house. I called Susan and we both watched them moving around below our windows just a few feet below.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A couple of days before there were Least Chipmunks on these same rocks</td></tr>
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I quickly grabbed my camera and went out to the yard to try to "shoot" them, but realized I wasn't prepared to stand out there in sun for very long. I came back in and got a hat and a chair and went back out to sit in the shade of a tree and settled in to wait patiently for them to come back out.<br />
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It wasn't long before one or two popped out to look around. They were very skittish though, and when I moved the camera to my face they scurried away out of sight. But I was patient and still and they eventually came out. First a couple of them, and then as many as 6 or 7 were scurrying around the rocks and flower beds by our house! I began shooting pictures without leaving my chair and caught lots of action. I was as still as possible as any sudden movement caused them to hide. I could see that they were even reacting to the clicks of the camera shutter.<br />
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The weasels appeared to be a family with a couple of adults and several smaller kits. As a group, they kept coming out, running up the incline of the retaining wall, and at one point, lasting only 15 seconds, they mostly stopped and grouped together, allowing me to get off about a dozen shots of them. I saw all this through the camera's viewfinder, but Susan was inside, watching this from the window and got to see them only 10-12 feet away!<br />
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They were so cute and adorable, but they are also vicious little creatures, with razor sharp teeth. And they will go after other mammals larger than they are.<br />
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It's not surprising that the family of 4 or 5 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_chipmunk" target="_blank">Least Chipmunks</a> we'd seen on these same rocks were nowhere to be seen. We have no idea if they were chased away by the weasels or were attacked and eaten.<br />
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During all of the weasel activity, our resident House Wrens were constantly chattering at them with alarm calls. The wrens even flew around, following the weasels and swooping in at them, with the weasels responding by running away.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House Wrens trying to chase the weasels away</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the House Wrens in a calmer moment</td></tr>
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I spent about an hour watching and photographing the weasels and then they seem to disperse, with a couple of them running across the driveway near where Susan stood, into the grass and around to the back of our house. A couple of times, they approached Susan, and they didn't show much fear even when she stomped her feet at them or threw rocks in their general direction to try to scare them away from our front door.<br />
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We weren't terribly excited about the possibility that the weasel family might be living in a den in our yard. Not the best situation to have when the grandkids come to visit and want to play outside.<br />
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Soon, there was no more weasel activity and I came inside to take a look at the 200+ images I shot. What a treat!<br />
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We came back out late in the day to see if they appeared again, but only a single weasel showed up and ran around the yard before it left the area.<br />
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The next morning, there was no more weasel activity. We had mixed feelings -- we were thrilled to have gotten such a unique viewing of the little family, but relieved that they seemed to be just passing through. We'll probably never have another weasel viewing experience like this!<br />
<br />Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com3Estes Park, CO 80517, USA40.3772059 -105.521665140.2804199 -105.6830266 40.4739919 -105.36030360000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-87213341545404441142016-04-06T11:34:00.000-07:002016-07-29T12:47:02.615-07:00Arizona Spring Road TripSurprisingly, after all the family health-related travel Mike and I have done the past 7 months, when the time came to visit my aunt in Tucson, we both felt a road trip was in order. We didn't know exactly what routes we'd take, but the more scenic byways, the better!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Road trip!</td></tr>
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The <a href="http://www.colorado.com/articles/colorado-scenic-byway-highway-legends" target="_blank">Highway of Legends</a> was our first detour. This Scenic Byway along Colorado Hwy 12 finally got us off the I-25 shlog between Walsenburg and Trinidad, CO, traveling to the west around the Spanish Peaks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpi87U7qt3cl_acIsy7LexaLxylnVVww9Na0RSlJ7B-t4lXhLRZRxNo5C25JenkqtLTru5fjzJMAPLA-cNuj-Ag1N0dMEmRwU_NLgK5tBCjJNfxOUkVNdJc7gA1LgAIJpaqXrfz8xpJnI/s1600/_L4C7884-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpi87U7qt3cl_acIsy7LexaLxylnVVww9Na0RSlJ7B-t4lXhLRZRxNo5C25JenkqtLTru5fjzJMAPLA-cNuj-Ag1N0dMEmRwU_NLgK5tBCjJNfxOUkVNdJc7gA1LgAIJpaqXrfz8xpJnI/s640/_L4C7884-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenery from the Highway of Legends</td></tr>
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The tourist season officially starts in April so there wasn't anything open in LaVeta or Cuchara yet, but the Deerprint Wine & Bistro looked interesting as a stop on a future visit to the Sand Dunes.<br />
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The next morning we started out from Raton, NM where I experienced my first swim in a saline pool at our motel. I highly recommend!<br />
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With high wind warnings in the area, we breezed through Santa Fe and Albuquerque without stopping, turning south on 117 just east of Grants, NM to explore <a href="https://www.nps.gov/elma/index.htm" target="_blank">El Malpais National Monument</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views from a rocky overlook at El Malpais NM in New Mexico</td></tr>
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This was a real winner of a stop. Easy access, good roads, uncrowded and the shortest route to Tucson!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW75tDqyPU2jaMi5PiIywveg5HJePBWPHj5Ju_pLcyJV4yBuWyPKuaDQ84BCR7JB4OF4gofI-DU7tIN-T0WC9Xu_jErF7gxqA7gj0nwyaqLoZQYlPqV-srbEqUCVNuBxEzqB0ELQLWTndr/s1600/IMG_1020-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW75tDqyPU2jaMi5PiIywveg5HJePBWPHj5Ju_pLcyJV4yBuWyPKuaDQ84BCR7JB4OF4gofI-DU7tIN-T0WC9Xu_jErF7gxqA7gj0nwyaqLoZQYlPqV-srbEqUCVNuBxEzqB0ELQLWTndr/s640/IMG_1020-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Ventana Arch, just a short walk from the main road</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along the road in El Malpais NM</td></tr>
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We always enjoy the Tucson area, especially the desert habitat for birds, plants, and scenery. We especially like going there when it's not too hot.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hummingbird at the feeder</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hummingbird feeding on blooming Ocotillo</td></tr>
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While staying with my aunt, we took one day to hike in nearby <a href="http://azstateparks.com/Parks/CATA/" target="_blank">Catalina State Park</a>, After checking out the 1 mile birding loop, we decided to hike to Romero Pools, 2.7 miles in.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking in Catalina State Park, near Tucson</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GyIf3Ti8wi3vBq4ftBQYmE0HghvWHuO5wjeq8Ng_bGOtv73zZbKLRRkSGmLLqFHQCr6atGEzBCvWwjDDuWrfrIBIshrbZO38lF61jghGzbbEQmA1F4c6pDxWVM4WVYFU4kLapGc3_7YR/s1600/_L4C8239-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GyIf3Ti8wi3vBq4ftBQYmE0HghvWHuO5wjeq8Ng_bGOtv73zZbKLRRkSGmLLqFHQCr6atGEzBCvWwjDDuWrfrIBIshrbZO38lF61jghGzbbEQmA1F4c6pDxWVM4WVYFU4kLapGc3_7YR/s640/_L4C8239-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wildflowers along the trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCxXwZMjV5ciprvPcKkNSzYvt11bKOjCxZceFZES0rpvaDYUKrEQ_FY6U1GZ2Irf1uF-rTs620BZB4IE7_1KxaA-Yo-qhyphenhyphenR09Joa_BlTI8edYSPN5P0HAto7KdUOh48y3UJpI-zbE5Lll/s1600/_L4C8249-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCxXwZMjV5ciprvPcKkNSzYvt11bKOjCxZceFZES0rpvaDYUKrEQ_FY6U1GZ2Irf1uF-rTs620BZB4IE7_1KxaA-Yo-qhyphenhyphenR09Joa_BlTI8edYSPN5P0HAto7KdUOh48y3UJpI-zbE5Lll/s640/_L4C8249-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saguaro cactus, and ocotillo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-ec02wL5i2tfZ2zrHDyipbeTej0cCzf8qjzX1vMmagUAhJG9NhyV8RkTPtknY611Ed6HHlGnZ3XYLk2r0hAnR7oP6K6q8PVO4IKrOsKT-8iiZKZDHPuJCv6yrQr7FMre4y-ftwKaex86/s1600/_L4C8254-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-ec02wL5i2tfZ2zrHDyipbeTej0cCzf8qjzX1vMmagUAhJG9NhyV8RkTPtknY611Ed6HHlGnZ3XYLk2r0hAnR7oP6K6q8PVO4IKrOsKT-8iiZKZDHPuJCv6yrQr7FMre4y-ftwKaex86/s640/_L4C8254-2k.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cactus in bloom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We loved the saguaro and blooming ocotillo studded views. But after 3 miles of rugged terrain and still no pools, we turned around.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNoZHz2QK2Li76_jvb-KbSJ6IW8IGCtTWhHmpERFHvE3uW92SHkkXM9q4ZoUZ8YGRpzEnqYrlYSVFQ87k4q010KFxRcvxLFRZGgjsnWwlINHG7JnDcPN3v6lKXAxw71Ur88tMPJ4KTfO5X/s1600/_L4C8196-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNoZHz2QK2Li76_jvb-KbSJ6IW8IGCtTWhHmpERFHvE3uW92SHkkXM9q4ZoUZ8YGRpzEnqYrlYSVFQ87k4q010KFxRcvxLFRZGgjsnWwlINHG7JnDcPN3v6lKXAxw71Ur88tMPJ4KTfO5X/s640/_L4C8196-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6UPy3W7WvLY2mGDNCKDd1S1Uafc7NUH5gwMWDViuP3hGLGFP-od7U1JssT9XyWpetcA1BhyphenhyphentFbkh1AQ94LZlvwtAfrRo3xAclx3z-JY_9is1K-z532mtyZyOr5uMwL6MtyViJfe0mUTe/s1600/_L4C8274-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6UPy3W7WvLY2mGDNCKDd1S1Uafc7NUH5gwMWDViuP3hGLGFP-od7U1JssT9XyWpetcA1BhyphenhyphentFbkh1AQ94LZlvwtAfrRo3xAclx3z-JY_9is1K-z532mtyZyOr5uMwL6MtyViJfe0mUTe/s640/_L4C8274-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan with her aunt Lois</td></tr>
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After a day of rest enjoying the company of my aunt, we headed home the same way we came, via Globe and Show Low, AZ. This time the skies were clear and we better enjoyed Salt Creek Canyon.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ryZUKd8n-5Zb-M1JgGDkvoVBd_oVPRxQpeeGQEepmhDbd4-wcEXc-dRJci8KMf2MR4qVcb-a2dMwL9xFLBN3KUByw1WDrf4tCkXAT7OUrHgDrVdS2VgqmkzPMDWoYjT7m_PiVHE0MHR3/s1600/_L4C8342-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ryZUKd8n-5Zb-M1JgGDkvoVBd_oVPRxQpeeGQEepmhDbd4-wcEXc-dRJci8KMf2MR4qVcb-a2dMwL9xFLBN3KUByw1WDrf4tCkXAT7OUrHgDrVdS2VgqmkzPMDWoYjT7m_PiVHE0MHR3/s640/_L4C8342-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The scenic view along the Salt Creek Canyon road</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJzLK7HnkQS_Am-3RMSnekvaFo3qGiyTOmyVmYzSyTRu4gNXSbOC6GHjhN_NhD98Qvg5lIsVloLiqdyCPvQxIvuafG9lq8u14pwKatJUhozxd0_utM1Xlznn7upP0knk7mKN00cjs5yDb/s1600/_L4C8344-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJzLK7HnkQS_Am-3RMSnekvaFo3qGiyTOmyVmYzSyTRu4gNXSbOC6GHjhN_NhD98Qvg5lIsVloLiqdyCPvQxIvuafG9lq8u14pwKatJUhozxd0_utM1Xlznn7upP0knk7mKN00cjs5yDb/s640/_L4C8344-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the canyon bottom Salt Creek flows by</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhe59LzeSmfymVz3qkpNmJiXmS1LbtPxVwSduY7WbmBYOgj_vNWRnw25-uudeIgpy0DwiVBW-rJYWb7IDCcj9Eofy9WGdEEaXeAIeKrRLFZSYw4jHxQ9WtMSZPLPBWgSGRZ9xp37C04AIo/s1600/_L4C8339-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhe59LzeSmfymVz3qkpNmJiXmS1LbtPxVwSduY7WbmBYOgj_vNWRnw25-uudeIgpy0DwiVBW-rJYWb7IDCcj9Eofy9WGdEEaXeAIeKrRLFZSYw4jHxQ9WtMSZPLPBWgSGRZ9xp37C04AIo/s640/_L4C8339-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view of Salt Creek Canyon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
At Show Low, we headed north to Holbrook, the fastest route to Bisti Badlands. We barely made it before sundown, so booked 2 nights in Farmington, NM.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OZ7r17sHOIj2J_hdMJ6yEx3lq-zmrr11aNkCYQuHT_IAjZb6aqxmK52tkzfDkyZsekUZ2318zPsrMkMeE78_KpRDiFX6SaDN0jCvyM7m1PfpNTmwoKEkkRFH5exE37695ocC3gNN3XHo/s1600/_L4C8362-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OZ7r17sHOIj2J_hdMJ6yEx3lq-zmrr11aNkCYQuHT_IAjZb6aqxmK52tkzfDkyZsekUZ2318zPsrMkMeE78_KpRDiFX6SaDN0jCvyM7m1PfpNTmwoKEkkRFH5exE37695ocC3gNN3XHo/s640/_L4C8362-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first view of Bisti Badlands as the sun went down</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcCurU9SQI3Ayn0alny3KX-dP4iJ9VsnquBiqLyHjtLBgDLRLRfVPEUDtYnykyK_FVUsZwZCDLU7uFWsGaayV91eoSHnwBt10ex7x1UvmPvf_gDCdpSMZYTsLGe3LolcAtTiOfGfN1weq/s1600/_L4C8365-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcCurU9SQI3Ayn0alny3KX-dP4iJ9VsnquBiqLyHjtLBgDLRLRfVPEUDtYnykyK_FVUsZwZCDLU7uFWsGaayV91eoSHnwBt10ex7x1UvmPvf_gDCdpSMZYTsLGe3LolcAtTiOfGfN1weq/s640/_L4C8365-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice light on the formations in the badlands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In the morning, we drove to <a href="https://www.nps.gov/chcu/index.htm" target="_blank">Chaco Culture National Historical Park</a> via some very cool unpaved backroads.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGF6tRKilWH5bJOpyK_Wk07N4JXxCQCuWpNAOI36NbfxXiOBYqD7q7655BrM1z9C4DnpgHu2RNcyycnbvCXNEd25_ryXS0BB5-Qq6a78ATzkh8fEYlBaINKFirJqTI_jHhiNLcdMjrxOTs/s1600/_L4C8393-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGF6tRKilWH5bJOpyK_Wk07N4JXxCQCuWpNAOI36NbfxXiOBYqD7q7655BrM1z9C4DnpgHu2RNcyycnbvCXNEd25_ryXS0BB5-Qq6a78ATzkh8fEYlBaINKFirJqTI_jHhiNLcdMjrxOTs/s640/_L4C8393-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big New Mexico views southwest of Farmington</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK8AXVtRyFdGzZdwI0hF3qja79rCG0u2XSaTZgGvtCga4IAJN9UE-3rVHLm8BrkChZ5v7mIjCQBbgzKqGNd9ITfTcIe2JBd0hpa7VzZWZXmuhUclcI8nMqXUUzd8_MY2-AvcwwUXjXANi/s1600/_L4C8395-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK8AXVtRyFdGzZdwI0hF3qja79rCG0u2XSaTZgGvtCga4IAJN9UE-3rVHLm8BrkChZ5v7mIjCQBbgzKqGNd9ITfTcIe2JBd0hpa7VzZWZXmuhUclcI8nMqXUUzd8_MY2-AvcwwUXjXANi/s640/_L4C8395-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan surveying the enormous ruins at Chaco Culture National Historical Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NwfuftukpQj1VXZvsJoT8whaUies8S4sEJhrWahemmPXB9anJNAznq_N14HSrSBIMrapBO6DuAVTUvm5NiNWABrTXz2jeMjCQq_PednDK4tyJoppIFS5j4sZaFkSTCIQb4OASeQsZj4P/s1600/_L4C8424-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NwfuftukpQj1VXZvsJoT8whaUies8S4sEJhrWahemmPXB9anJNAznq_N14HSrSBIMrapBO6DuAVTUvm5NiNWABrTXz2jeMjCQq_PednDK4tyJoppIFS5j4sZaFkSTCIQb4OASeQsZj4P/s640/_L4C8424-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the ruins at Chaco</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4J01vMJbrLd6Zg9jLBcLVOdCS9OuQqFvVfXQ8UAU9PcvDwdoBnf4Netu3YsVH4pS523wC_Svjs-8Y8rxNVSKCBYy2fObPRUNmtV6ACx6naYmieE6KWgQJ5h0DISBoL72OMMlT0RpEjP3Z/s1600/_L4C8430-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4J01vMJbrLd6Zg9jLBcLVOdCS9OuQqFvVfXQ8UAU9PcvDwdoBnf4Netu3YsVH4pS523wC_Svjs-8Y8rxNVSKCBYy2fObPRUNmtV6ACx6naYmieE6KWgQJ5h0DISBoL72OMMlT0RpEjP3Z/s640/_L4C8430-2k.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doorways in the ruins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After we toured Chaco, we headed back to the Bisti Badlands to spend the rest of our day.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4OIpdqcxeL7wh6E5gqu5QktMpa6_g4knC9ECzi-b9A270e2jhqNp7gpBoNqcbp0MeiqGPDaqwtAMiiZ-Wlcz32i2Odh7xxj8e_pqYKSF1s4BPr19PjJTQ0ad7X5rarVeI2_1qU1QoLrOb/s1600/_L4C8437-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4OIpdqcxeL7wh6E5gqu5QktMpa6_g4knC9ECzi-b9A270e2jhqNp7gpBoNqcbp0MeiqGPDaqwtAMiiZ-Wlcz32i2Odh7xxj8e_pqYKSF1s4BPr19PjJTQ0ad7X5rarVeI2_1qU1QoLrOb/s640/_L4C8437-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About a mile in we found incredible erosion-formed rock formations</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We took almost 200 photos here, but here are some of our favorites.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRT6gpSYSFnwkOk0kO0_bPvZNhfqdTA7c2sbgCKAYug0dylG7cz5D6OI0U3ytGHi7M2KJwIyXp98-j7IPyxns6GbIXhecUCpKLM4HjHGLzxweiDU9UZslhF-TSzEkrAjNUjl6FhKnVGIna/s1600/_L4C8445-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRT6gpSYSFnwkOk0kO0_bPvZNhfqdTA7c2sbgCKAYug0dylG7cz5D6OI0U3ytGHi7M2KJwIyXp98-j7IPyxns6GbIXhecUCpKLM4HjHGLzxweiDU9UZslhF-TSzEkrAjNUjl6FhKnVGIna/s640/_L4C8445-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2p8CaPJgYljUAFLj-ezUuM13-XZC8EiHx_q8BdDOK74qSGb0oelNIUHpqWVIZ44mO01CTa7TOwQMnFohY39X68ameyjeuW_mQRTUwStnQ3f16KQkmN-7tgB8UAmuSuhsWyVUO2MqtSJr/s1600/_L4C8474-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2p8CaPJgYljUAFLj-ezUuM13-XZC8EiHx_q8BdDOK74qSGb0oelNIUHpqWVIZ44mO01CTa7TOwQMnFohY39X68ameyjeuW_mQRTUwStnQ3f16KQkmN-7tgB8UAmuSuhsWyVUO2MqtSJr/s640/_L4C8474-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes it's hard to judge the scale of what you're seeing...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuWHNhoPHvip1RfjSxTLfK1RajQFY2oDme9f1byzIXxxpyB0LR2mjWPaokzGFhgm19W0D81XY3vywpfNTGUCAnTsCon8sENNqdMqUqQKJtqTxaO6yXIwQTlZqkEzAXilSDvkGKrIFfUzV5/s1600/_L4C8471-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuWHNhoPHvip1RfjSxTLfK1RajQFY2oDme9f1byzIXxxpyB0LR2mjWPaokzGFhgm19W0D81XY3vywpfNTGUCAnTsCon8sENNqdMqUqQKJtqTxaO6yXIwQTlZqkEzAXilSDvkGKrIFfUzV5/s640/_L4C8471-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... so Susan posed with some of the smaller formations</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorlXx49XmQ39woaIUIV-_v1IVyEgMz8zZgE-TgpVuuV1D-HtUg7pxjey4YXirWanue5AdrCuoijejqmjLTXrCCbTVSCbEPnZr10N4N4kfnEyyQ_-_GpdiVIcwnULMACPzgcmGJKte99Ro/s1600/_L4C8492-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorlXx49XmQ39woaIUIV-_v1IVyEgMz8zZgE-TgpVuuV1D-HtUg7pxjey4YXirWanue5AdrCuoijejqmjLTXrCCbTVSCbEPnZr10N4N4kfnEyyQ_-_GpdiVIcwnULMACPzgcmGJKte99Ro/s640/_L4C8492-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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We hiked a total of around 5 miles until dusk and barely scratched the surface. There are no trails. And the landscape often looks like a desolate alien world.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGGkCScT-lI4EvIfyxO1f9t8JPgWXtfCRPyXOz0X27GyttDUMbK0qlY2yhezfQ3jtk1ZOq1ILrTmmSbS58gZ-y8yMv24xr-2hyphenhyphenKIhk9GZmABvoLEMojeb29UkIDFH6qeW04zMfrb8xfWS/s1600/_L4C8553-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGGkCScT-lI4EvIfyxO1f9t8JPgWXtfCRPyXOz0X27GyttDUMbK0qlY2yhezfQ3jtk1ZOq1ILrTmmSbS58gZ-y8yMv24xr-2hyphenhyphenKIhk9GZmABvoLEMojeb29UkIDFH6qeW04zMfrb8xfWS/s640/_L4C8553-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Guided by a major wash that runs through the middle of the badlands, it was a blast to walk around towards whatever looked interesting. Which was everything. We'll definitely go back!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifU7PxS23RykveD_YA2UlYhHdgwlJIpLh6YhAqbdxEVGqJ5_hBk5bXYt8IpZrdfZtjfwWMweYp10xx-dPIYjDmYspzBqtoWUd_gq-Poqsf01k860kN0thHfgIgreNAZaocWoeWfTcnLyB_/s1600/_L4C8583-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifU7PxS23RykveD_YA2UlYhHdgwlJIpLh6YhAqbdxEVGqJ5_hBk5bXYt8IpZrdfZtjfwWMweYp10xx-dPIYjDmYspzBqtoWUd_gq-Poqsf01k860kN0thHfgIgreNAZaocWoeWfTcnLyB_/s640/_L4C8583-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFBeSkvFdmXBTXIjQrIJ7I9b8cxuGffrcntZ3bRUxUFuZiMxqhNhBScbIPAr1lfqZvcQ19SkR1fvAe2Ed9we-rdbM1uHQlcuWahwnOaM0Gb5NNneBQWsmncb93iwl4wIh6asv-fclHyBN/s1600/_L4C8580-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFBeSkvFdmXBTXIjQrIJ7I9b8cxuGffrcntZ3bRUxUFuZiMxqhNhBScbIPAr1lfqZvcQ19SkR1fvAe2Ed9we-rdbM1uHQlcuWahwnOaM0Gb5NNneBQWsmncb93iwl4wIh6asv-fclHyBN/s640/_L4C8580-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOky7NtsEQT-lTA03JvuC81z5JJz4HcXhUmBUJsR-RlrwXMug_fwOGIa5ELLClZk6YmBvLe_F3EtMuIG9k0YW-MOaiCAhoVGUR0Jtym0c6-zWUTUpOrOcl-WcuxJeDi96IwaqNMHVOnIH/s1600/_L4C8586-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOky7NtsEQT-lTA03JvuC81z5JJz4HcXhUmBUJsR-RlrwXMug_fwOGIa5ELLClZk6YmBvLe_F3EtMuIG9k0YW-MOaiCAhoVGUR0Jtym0c6-zWUTUpOrOcl-WcuxJeDi96IwaqNMHVOnIH/s640/_L4C8586-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our final view, near the trailhead</td></tr>
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We had planned to drive straight home the next morning, but detoured once again, turning north at South Park to go through Creede and Lake City and adding 2 hours of gorgeous scenery to our day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbUzJhKIEzz-e1SUmzAH5NFDN3k17oIV-dqhxon5-BKGqkjUfTjj8N4FAOTn274QAMwGsXCNyU2ebMG_Sxa-GiaecJQH-M2pp2vTC81wdPUW4RyLPFxdDit5-QRwB64-iDH8mhyphenhyphenApD1qX/s1600/_L4C8596-Pano-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbUzJhKIEzz-e1SUmzAH5NFDN3k17oIV-dqhxon5-BKGqkjUfTjj8N4FAOTn274QAMwGsXCNyU2ebMG_Sxa-GiaecJQH-M2pp2vTC81wdPUW4RyLPFxdDit5-QRwB64-iDH8mhyphenhyphenApD1qX/s640/_L4C8596-Pano-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama from an overlook in Colorado, on the way home</td></tr>
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This road trip turned out to be over 2,000 miles of scenic drives, and we got to see more of our National Park Service gems plus some other fun new areas! Here's a map of our trip route.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="600" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m76!1m12!1m3!1d6592495.119473417!2d-112.20859205832545!3d36.215395284154084!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!4m61!3e0!4m5!1s0x876965d6bb191a03%3A0xdb9698b7a9caac0c!2sEstes+Park%2C+CO+80517!3m2!1d40.3772059!2d-105.52166509999999!4m5!1s0x87115bd1b7a8432d%3A0x61fb1b675a3d97dd!2sWalsenburg%2C+CO!3m2!1d37.6241793!2d-104.7802645!4m5!1s0x8710f043b7f65153%3A0xa09ff54108aa82d0!2sRaton%2C+NM!3m2!1d36.9033581!2d-104.43915319999999!4m5!1s0x8723f17972f5e20d%3A0x70e619994fdf64d1!2sEl+Malpais%2C+Grants%2C+NM+87020!3m2!1d34.7607372!2d-107.95632379999999!4m5!1s0x86d665410b2ced2b%3A0x73c32d384d16c715!2sTucson%2C+AZ!3m2!1d32.221742899999995!2d-110.926479!4m5!1s0x873b66594b9b18a1%3A0x57b87dab763fcb9!2sBisti+Badlands%2C+Apache+County%2C+AZ!3m2!1d36.284731199999996!2d-108.19507209999999!4m5!1s0x873ca8d11d034229%3A0x85ada4a02ba04512!2sChaco+Culture+National+Historical+Park%2C+New+Mexico!3m2!1d36.052999799999995!2d-107.955924!4m5!1s0x873e4742891ef703%3A0x70597e890bc44f0!2sCreede%2C+CO!3m2!1d37.8491662!2d-106.9264345!4m5!1s0x873f001ee153bcf1%3A0x9d2aa26c1fa2d73b!2sLake+City%2C+CO!3m2!1d38.0299967!2d-107.3153335!4m5!1s0x876965d6bb191a03%3A0xdb9698b7a9caac0c!2sEstes+Park%2C+CO!3m2!1d40.3772059!2d-105.52166509999999!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1469816630011" style="border: 0;" width="800"></iframe><br />Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-20835711475208671712015-07-17T19:35:00.000-07:002020-01-14T14:27:29.466-07:00Haleakala Hike Part I (July 16, 2015)Though we had been to Hawaii and Maui before, we had never explored much of West Maui (except the road to Hana).<br />
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During this visit, we had plenty of time to explore beautiful <a href="https://www.nps.gov/hale/index.htm" target="_blank">Haleakala National Park</a>, an International Biosphere Reserve, and a sacred place for the Hawaiian people.<br />
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Be sure to click on any image for a larger view!<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iqIzweV-UYs/V4rK33qlmLI/AAAAAAABkDc/_basnmCXZkcmFo8aNTyVvlow_WMiNSCywCKgB/s1600/haleakala%2BMap.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="438" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iqIzweV-UYs/V4rK33qlmLI/AAAAAAABkDc/_basnmCXZkcmFo8aNTyVvlow_WMiNSCywCKgB/s640/haleakala%2BMap.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Haleakala National Park was about 30-45 min drive from where we were staying in upcountry Kula.<br />
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Haleakala ("house of the sun") or the East Maui Volcano, is a massive shield volcano that forms more than 75% of Maui. The tallest peak of Haleakala is 10,023 feet and the stunning views from the summit look down into a massive depression of about 14 square miles and as deep as 2,600'. The barren landscape looks alien.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4wS5UIL8_nA/V4rKL1cCsHI/AAAAAAABkDM/2uuCqLByUKkvMRDzvRSLhbLfMhqtKjSIACKgB/s1600/_L4C6682-Pano-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4wS5UIL8_nA/V4rKL1cCsHI/AAAAAAABkDM/2uuCqLByUKkvMRDzvRSLhbLfMhqtKjSIACKgB/s640/_L4C6682-Pano-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama view down into the Haleakala "crater"</td></tr>
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After our very first visit, we were hooked, and during the month we spent on Maui, we went up to Haleakala eight times. A couple of times to generally explore, once for sunrise/moonrise, twice for sunset, once for night sky, and once for a very fun hike down into the "crater". (The word "crater" is in quotes because this is not a true volcanic crater or caldera, but much of the entire summit and topography was formed by volcanic activity and subsequent erosion.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vfjVJG4ObKo/VbBd2PAEwBI/AAAAAAABTH4/RMd74BJMomk37_20f3nVbmhJnz90C5McwCKgB/s1600/_L4C6714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vfjVJG4ObKo/VbBd2PAEwBI/AAAAAAABTH4/RMd74BJMomk37_20f3nVbmhJnz90C5McwCKgB/s640/_L4C6714.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our son and grandkids at the Haleakala summit</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c50qLcOK5hc/VbBdi9L3-kI/AAAAAAABTHI/Un0hW0manec65HRNsjy_K4r5pzkRocElACKgB/s1600/_L4C6657-Pano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c50qLcOK5hc/VbBdi9L3-kI/AAAAAAABTHI/Un0hW0manec65HRNsjy_K4r5pzkRocElACKgB/s640/_L4C6657-Pano.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haleakala crater filled with clouds (not the day we hiked)</td></tr>
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One of our big goals was to hike down into the crater via the Sliding Sands trail. We had two cars at our disposal, so we were able to hike from near the summit just one-way to another trailhead to pick up a car left by our friends (who picked up the car we left at the summit). The one-way hike was still over 12.5 miles with 3,800 feet of descent, and 2,050 feet of rise. Not a trivial hike!<br />
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We arrived at the summit about 7:30am and found it socked in with clouds, very cool temps, windy, and trying to rain.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aq50gOzKfc8/VcaSlKM-pJI/AAAAAAABPzY/Xpk2dxNZozQwIE21kDOsA6KG0XB1cpa8ACKgB/s1600/IMG_5125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aq50gOzKfc8/VcaSlKM-pJI/AAAAAAABPzY/Xpk2dxNZozQwIE21kDOsA6KG0XB1cpa8ACKgB/s640/IMG_5125.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike at the trailhead</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XF5hB-eqPi8/VcaSjx6hiyI/AAAAAAABS8o/_ImphRXzdZQJmtwEMKC_Sp04_E1nClAOgCKgB/s1600/IMG_3763-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XF5hB-eqPi8/VcaSjx6hiyI/AAAAAAABS8o/_ImphRXzdZQJmtwEMKC_Sp04_E1nClAOgCKgB/s640/IMG_3763-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan at the trailhead</td></tr>
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We spent a few minutes considering if we really wanted to hike down into the clouds. Finally we just decided to gamble that the clouds would eventually clear, put on our rain gear and headed downhill on the Sliding Sands trail, into the crater.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mqibW0oVFvo/VcaSmMDVjEI/AAAAAAABS9M/aoiJutohhjI9kXyqFV2bYRbzjgUB6dYsQCKgB/s1600/IMG_5134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mqibW0oVFvo/VcaSmMDVjEI/AAAAAAABS9M/aoiJutohhjI9kXyqFV2bYRbzjgUB6dYsQCKgB/s640/IMG_5134.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike coming down the Sliding Sands trail</td></tr>
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Our starting elevation was about 9,700 feet, and in the first two miles we dropped about 1,300 feet! And we had a lot more elevation to drop. The clouds continued to dissipate and we saw more and more blue sky.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KxcM5uZhnSc/VcaQc_GMiJI/AAAAAAABS9Y/KQwFby4zRJwjI8MpOQM7dXrQrRX7Qh2_gCKgB/s1600/_L4C0229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KxcM5uZhnSc/VcaQc_GMiJI/AAAAAAABS9Y/KQwFby4zRJwjI8MpOQM7dXrQrRX7Qh2_gCKgB/s640/_L4C0229.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view back to the Visitor's Center</td></tr>
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Fortunately, the clouds began to break up and we got some wonderful views farther down into the crater, and beyond, to the ocean. The scenery was breathtaking!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3t-pl4nJFkG22xqF0NA2fVVJ5b-5XAKYDKCCmlv8OtUzyaypUanzo0QWch1OIa5kUBhzLY3AlcudIRVipRxQvPpOhEVnHu2xK-mVlwahkfbmt3sOhIa3Opbe0y8R_zWMzfa8D6GyKvip/s1600/_L4C0239-2K.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3t-pl4nJFkG22xqF0NA2fVVJ5b-5XAKYDKCCmlv8OtUzyaypUanzo0QWch1OIa5kUBhzLY3AlcudIRVipRxQvPpOhEVnHu2xK-mVlwahkfbmt3sOhIa3Opbe0y8R_zWMzfa8D6GyKvip/s640/_L4C0239-2K.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan along the trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We considered hiking down and around the Kalu'Uoka'O'O cinder cone, but didn't</td></tr>
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It was interesting how the landscape, rocks and vegetation changed as we dropped. It was very barren at first, with the landscape dotted with the native Silversword, a rare plant that only grows above 6,900 feet in and around Haleakala. The only other silversword plants are found on the Big Island at similar elevations on western slope of Mauna Kea.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan looking at a Silversword</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silversword, this one about about 40" tall)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Silversword plus some shrubs</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down at the trail junction where grasses meet old lava flow</td></tr>
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After hiking down nearly 4 miles and about 7,500 feet elevation (about the same as Estes Park, where we live), we stopped at a trail junction for a quick rest, and then turned onto the more northerly trail, still descending.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan at the trail junction</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading north</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking along the alien and sandy lava landscape</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another couple from Canada we met a little ahead of us on the trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike on the trail </td></tr>
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At about the 5 mile point, we made the decision to take a detour counter-clockwise around the Halali'i cinder cone, and we were really happy we did, as the scenery and geology around the northeast side was very interesting.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View to the South, towards the trail junction</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LzoveHLyizc/VcaR5ZT_cuI/AAAAAAABhgY/f8ydiNsES84QYeAfKQ3hhcTVV3KZxoiRgCKgB/s1600/_L4C0427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LzoveHLyizc/VcaR5ZT_cuI/AAAAAAABhgY/f8ydiNsES84QYeAfKQ3hhcTVV3KZxoiRgCKgB/s640/_L4C0427.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan with one of the interesting volcanic rock formations</td></tr>
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As we hiked around the cone, the light changed slightly and we noticed how much red we were seeing in the landscape rocks and sands. Such an alien, barren, and beautiful landscape.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan heading down the trail </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Multi-colored gravel, someday to be sand</td></tr>
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As we came back out to the main trail we had detoured from, we sat down on some rocks for a lunch break.<br />
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.justournature.com/2015/07/haleakala-hike-part-ii-july-16-2015.html" target="_blank"><b>Click here</b> to continue reading Part II</a>...</h4>
Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com0Haleakalā National Park, Hawaii 96790, USA20.7203826 -156.15515240000002-3.7996124000000009 162.53625359999998 45.2403776 -114.84655840000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-37327572572468492732015-07-17T10:59:00.000-07:002016-07-19T17:05:42.217-07:00Haleakala Hike Part II (July 16, 2015)<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.justournature.com/2015/07/haleakala-hike-part-i-july-16-2015.html">Continued from Part I... </a></h4>
Our lunch spot was probably the most desert-like and otherworldly place on the hike. I barely sat down to rest even though we were 6 miles into the hike, with another 7+ to go, including dropping about 800 feet, then gaining back another 1,300+ feet.<br />
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Another mile down the trail we found we were walking through old lava flows.<br />
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We were about to drop down our lowest point were we expected find more vegetation, especially grasses.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan, ahead of me on the trail</td></tr>
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Now we were hiking in thick vegetation, bushes and grasses, all around us. We were getting fairly close to the Holua primitive cabins, where we thought we might take a break.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now we saw bushes like these all around us, along with a lot of grasses</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hearing squawking, we looked up to see these three Nenes flying by. They're the Hawaii state bird.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A3QaTTQspU4/VcaSL59hrUI/AAAAAAABhgY/sItQ1dAgU_A-1SD81SFv0BkwDXJKSCcBgCKgB/s1600/_L4C0529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A3QaTTQspU4/VcaSL59hrUI/AAAAAAABhgY/sItQ1dAgU_A-1SD81SFv0BkwDXJKSCcBgCKgB/s640/_L4C0529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holua Wilderness cabins</td></tr>
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As we approached the cabins and saw no activity around them, we saw a sign explaining they were closed for two days for ant bait application! So much for taking a break here on this hike.<br />
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At this point, we're about 8 miles into the hike and we were nearing our lowest point, 3,200 feet lower than where we started. But not only do we have another 4 miles of hiking, we have to gain back almost 1,400 feet to get back to the trailhead where our car is waiting.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9sHoc32vDxm14xT5Fyr8MUqXlD9bVDRJURyNwJUZuQiFJjWj5Oj_p3QyEf71RlIiu8wBvRrE2f_ZeoVi5ES8q2qztTo0iirJTBhN6P9rDHOYL1KP4-bLPzpyPbT3EoTFeIvsquhzQh9IG/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-19+at+11.07.00+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9sHoc32vDxm14xT5Fyr8MUqXlD9bVDRJURyNwJUZuQiFJjWj5Oj_p3QyEf71RlIiu8wBvRrE2f_ZeoVi5ES8q2qztTo0iirJTBhN6P9rDHOYL1KP4-bLPzpyPbT3EoTFeIvsquhzQh9IG/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-19+at+11.07.00+AM.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The elevation (blue) and speed (red) profile for our hike</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oa08HCqJe0s/VcaSN8qiO5I/AAAAAAABhgY/2pwFap1JsHc8Cj1klwk0SOgrwQjvCEmIQCKgB/s1600/_L4C0538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oa08HCqJe0s/VcaSN8qiO5I/AAAAAAABhgY/2pwFap1JsHc8Cj1klwk0SOgrwQjvCEmIQCKgB/s640/_L4C0538.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan on the trail, about our lowest point, about 6,600 feet</td></tr>
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After a quick break, we forged on past the Holua cabins, passed through a gate, and then saw the hills with all the steep switchbacks we'd be taking to gain the remaining elevation.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OJkA7NyXmfI/V45foMS7SMI/AAAAAAABkJA/kPPhC36mGrc0xciTv_tU06aDccgdWvWLgCKgB/s1600/_L4C0539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OJkA7NyXmfI/V45foMS7SMI/AAAAAAABkJA/kPPhC36mGrc0xciTv_tU06aDccgdWvWLgCKgB/s640/_L4C0539.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trail heading towards the switchbacks</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gUPDoS49UlI/V45gTw5vMTI/AAAAAAABkJM/oZRx5P8IDoYmhbchb-4xrNUmQsXLXA-RACKgB/s1600/_L4C0540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gUPDoS49UlI/V45gTw5vMTI/AAAAAAABkJM/oZRx5P8IDoYmhbchb-4xrNUmQsXLXA-RACKgB/s640/_L4C0540.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan about to round a switchback</td></tr>
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As we powered up the trail, we rounded one switchback and found a lone Nene (aka Hawaiian Goose) perched on a rock just below the curve of the switchback. Surprisingly, he wasn't skittish at all and let us approach pretty closely, and seemed to enjoy posing for us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LnHChBOzHZ0/V45hV5vPdMI/AAAAAAABkJg/PrmjsRXOj_I3AVT22bn54dx7k6waEV-cACKgB/s1600/_L4C0553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LnHChBOzHZ0/V45hV5vPdMI/AAAAAAABkJg/PrmjsRXOj_I3AVT22bn54dx7k6waEV-cACKgB/s640/_L4C0553.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nene on a rock at lower right, with the trail we came up on</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ni6HKBSKwQQ/VcaSO0gRsVI/AAAAAAABhgY/0LmvZdIYngEwfBIdRHVPn8CWIaMlBbPzQCKgB/s1600/_L4C0557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ni6HKBSKwQQ/VcaSO0gRsVI/AAAAAAABhgY/0LmvZdIYngEwfBIdRHVPn8CWIaMlBbPzQCKgB/s640/_L4C0557.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nene perched on a rock, trying to look raptor-like? :-)</td></tr>
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The higher we climbed, the bigger our views got, not just of the grassland to the south, but also big panoramic views out to the ocean to the east.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t9WBQeUp68o/V45owQEAoqI/AAAAAAABkKE/DuPzvlG0WzYsTNAMjpLNDvnYycwC6l4yACKgB/s1600/IMG_3798-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t9WBQeUp68o/V45owQEAoqI/AAAAAAABkKE/DuPzvlG0WzYsTNAMjpLNDvnYycwC6l4yACKgB/s640/IMG_3798-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pano looking mostly east</td></tr>
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We also gained enough elevation look back down on many of the switchbacks we'd just climbed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hsg87d53xaU/VcaSQP1MY5I/AAAAAAABhgY/5hlx2Y3qJVwpo33OW4rNBQFvPY3YVHwAQCKgB/s1600/_L4C0601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hsg87d53xaU/VcaSQP1MY5I/AAAAAAABhgY/5hlx2Y3qJVwpo33OW4rNBQFvPY3YVHwAQCKgB/s640/_L4C0601.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trail we'd just come up</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-byA6rbOoLsc/VcaSRL_APOI/AAAAAAABhgY/8meWS0rQuBY35EYFSnNaJR-iGmqHr193ACKgB/s1600/_L4C0614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-byA6rbOoLsc/VcaSRL_APOI/AAAAAAABhgY/8meWS0rQuBY35EYFSnNaJR-iGmqHr193ACKgB/s640/_L4C0614.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view back toward the south</td></tr>
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We were getting pretty tired now after all the elevation gain 12+ miles into the hike, but we were almost done.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6woQc1XJ3E/VcaSSkOmYdI/AAAAAAABhgY/MRam6Us8tKYuitmqSB6is6nJk9Xkk_z-gCKgB/s1600/_L4C0619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6woQc1XJ3E/VcaSSkOmYdI/AAAAAAABhgY/MRam6Us8tKYuitmqSB6is6nJk9Xkk_z-gCKgB/s640/_L4C0619.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first glimpse of the parking lot at the trailhead!</td></tr>
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We enjoyed this sign at the end of the hike, giving a "conceptual view" of what we'd just finished!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--ebJwi7Moyo/VcaSgn8GtiI/AAAAAAABhgY/UC9tIbxpG2gzY7zis-qMnh-c069upvghgCKgB/s1600/IMG_3805-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--ebJwi7Moyo/VcaSgn8GtiI/AAAAAAABhgY/UC9tIbxpG2gzY7zis-qMnh-c069upvghgCKgB/s640/IMG_3805-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our hike, starting at center right, going counter-clockwise</td></tr>
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And here's the map view of our hike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zvG-_6NQKlE/V45ruwIm2TI/AAAAAAABkKg/Ewz-5OpMld4WTTcVLbgYbZYGRnqtl_I4ACKgB/s1600/Hike%2BMap.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zvG-_6NQKlE/V45ruwIm2TI/AAAAAAABkKg/Ewz-5OpMld4WTTcVLbgYbZYGRnqtl_I4ACKgB/s640/Hike%2BMap.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GPS track of our hike in the "crater". Starts at lower left. </td></tr>
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This was a difficult hike, but well worth the effort! A very unique experience and perhaps one of our best ever hikes.Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com0Haleakalā National Park, Hawaii 96790, USA20.7203826 -156.15515240000002-3.7996124000000009 162.53625359999998 45.2403776 -114.84655840000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-28096555781668378112015-07-04T11:41:00.000-07:002016-08-02T13:01:37.839-07:00Maui, Part I - Haleakala SkiesIn July 2016 we enjoyed a home exchange trip and stayed in a wonderful home on East Maui near Kula. The Kula area is known as "upcountry" because it's at higher elevation (almost 3,500') on the slopes of Haleakala. Here's a view from the lanai of "our home."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7uilA5JeTqd4Noa7GQ1PZ7Eube_pGVGLJrqpnxDA2CVdp5VJtxWZzlH9oFLHULzmiszRhrAHiCcrV7-qremN7C2caOeNGHhIV6zrla9ZGpxPpb8bxHvsxt6rYw5an8QIWeRevG8QwDQEb/s1600/_L4C6726-Pano-2-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7uilA5JeTqd4Noa7GQ1PZ7Eube_pGVGLJrqpnxDA2CVdp5VJtxWZzlH9oFLHULzmiszRhrAHiCcrV7-qremN7C2caOeNGHhIV6zrla9ZGpxPpb8bxHvsxt6rYw5an8QIWeRevG8QwDQEb/s640/_L4C6726-Pano-2-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Kula, looking towards West Maui</td></tr>
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<b>Be sure to click on each photo to see a larger version!</b><br />
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We spent a month here and had family and friends stay with us part of the time. During our stay, we enjoyed all the "standard" activities on the island, including scenic drives, <a href="http://www.justournature.com/2015/07/haleakala-hike-part-i-july-16-2015.html">hiking</a>, beaches, sunrises, sunsets, night sky, birdwatching, ziplining, and more!<br />
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This will be a multi-part blog post featuring some of our favorite photos from the trip.<br />
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Haleakala National Park was a favorite place for us to explore and was only 30-45 minutes from our house. We made about 8 trips up there during our trip! And we did a <a href="http://www.justournature.com/2015/07/haleakala-hike-part-i-july-16-2015.html">pretty major hike</a> down into the Haleakala "crater" too.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g1ssczEBVl0/VcOr-BCHtyI/AAAAAAABR_A/ThxzGoIpA5AZlYBK-hd16PnwaNumAxklQCPcB/s1600/_L4C8466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g1ssczEBVl0/VcOr-BCHtyI/AAAAAAABR_A/ThxzGoIpA5AZlYBK-hd16PnwaNumAxklQCPcB/s640/_L4C8466.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down into the Haleakala "crater"</td></tr>
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Since the summit of Haleakala is above 10,000 feet, and the air is so clear in this isolated part of the Pacific, there are several observatories and space-tracking facilities on the summit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ByrhKJhpUIpCarKt64soWM5Y4JTlaDb8en6UxUTOPRyhjrQKUYPqkksJLU7wlESEcGDa64ZY5La6-Chgu0_F76LEsq6n6_x16u_jPqJxzfJJS4l5iKHR9fGkXeNYflThFYryq5Fx0Y6W/s1600/_L4C8445-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ByrhKJhpUIpCarKt64soWM5Y4JTlaDb8en6UxUTOPRyhjrQKUYPqkksJLU7wlESEcGDa64ZY5La6-Chgu0_F76LEsq6n6_x16u_jPqJxzfJJS4l5iKHR9fGkXeNYflThFYryq5Fx0Y6W/s640/_L4C8445-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Military space tracking facilities near the summit of Haleakala</td></tr>
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Because of the big views from Haleakala, which is often above the clouds, it's a very popular place to go for sunrise and sunset.<br />
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On the night we went up for sunset, the full moon was rising just a few minutes before the sun went down.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgsF1cfNfh7igtGRt4X4Hc0FoUBADCL8Q_tXk1bN2Rwpg843efHPK3Zpng0m5fjcfbIa1Titgzbdm0NH784fzh548Wm1bH1fXCmW_4epMMuOajBM3wuxQQpYT-vhvSyu-w-Za1xojSRHhN/s1600/_L4C7283-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgsF1cfNfh7igtGRt4X4Hc0FoUBADCL8Q_tXk1bN2Rwpg843efHPK3Zpng0m5fjcfbIa1Titgzbdm0NH784fzh548Wm1bH1fXCmW_4epMMuOajBM3wuxQQpYT-vhvSyu-w-Za1xojSRHhN/s640/_L4C7283-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moonrise before sunset. Note the pointy shadow of Haleakala center-right </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw9mFeicfOJ9-bBqjkrJonFB1wxJxR-2UIXpDKpYb3zaNV3lDJFb25wLLu8yh1A5X9654xud0uEwmALj4AD-jz_QkF1KzbqyF-dGjBoTWDBxfbf_ywdiKcLIdmcrqBtG5Ze9I50Kh82ktV/s1600/_L4C7255-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw9mFeicfOJ9-bBqjkrJonFB1wxJxR-2UIXpDKpYb3zaNV3lDJFb25wLLu8yh1A5X9654xud0uEwmALj4AD-jz_QkF1KzbqyF-dGjBoTWDBxfbf_ywdiKcLIdmcrqBtG5Ze9I50Kh82ktV/s640/_L4C7255-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clouds and ocean view from Haleakala just before sunset</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbeJbCXL3x53-ToniELi-UrI7S_yke-hPLAwgPtpihgTTtM731ESKY8kFf0BPFABcYEDhJLAGZM9Atzkq0qWs5_3nlTux2xH_v9LP_MlVKBT-C8E0ODOZRBAYxpdBtbB_z4kff5mNEO6X/s1600/_L4C7254-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbeJbCXL3x53-ToniELi-UrI7S_yke-hPLAwgPtpihgTTtM731ESKY8kFf0BPFABcYEDhJLAGZM9Atzkq0qWs5_3nlTux2xH_v9LP_MlVKBT-C8E0ODOZRBAYxpdBtbB_z4kff5mNEO6X/s640/_L4C7254-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Definitely a popular spot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpubk6oR7_FxJi2nGBbt4C_zi8y0rcCV8QEuqYG_5QcFzUz1ETOLYjE7Pba4HGEoVxCIBrJDSRi9Gy-TF9rrojosll0Ls7oygKs7wD545mZFTA_G2wKDRQctFFXHLK7pC5J7bS1t1Tjpn7/s1600/_L4C7301-HDR-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpubk6oR7_FxJi2nGBbt4C_zi8y0rcCV8QEuqYG_5QcFzUz1ETOLYjE7Pba4HGEoVxCIBrJDSRi9Gy-TF9rrojosll0Ls7oygKs7wD545mZFTA_G2wKDRQctFFXHLK7pC5J7bS1t1Tjpn7/s640/_L4C7301-HDR-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset, with West Maui mountains</td></tr>
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Once the sun goes down, Hawaii's remoteness in the Pacific makes it an excellent dark sky location. We drove up late one night with no moon and the moment we got out of the car we could clearly see the band of the Milky Way and Galactic Center.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFuUIJo8xn8DC42EJd5HkM9ZkzxdZlyjprKkuP-8CKM_mi1O_JTpUoKqoKATtv-EP1pMRV0xPHQ90JaKawcU8Rby3ROdgN5mb17Dhc4cgsfmPQZTeN5C0flGY-knw9Qv7OZilDIwh74icl/s1600/_L4C0899-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFuUIJo8xn8DC42EJd5HkM9ZkzxdZlyjprKkuP-8CKM_mi1O_JTpUoKqoKATtv-EP1pMRV0xPHQ90JaKawcU8Rby3ROdgN5mb17Dhc4cgsfmPQZTeN5C0flGY-knw9Qv7OZilDIwh74icl/s640/_L4C0899-2k.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milky Way over our car at Haleakala</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLo64Z0cz71rfiFQmyTJ8IheZryJAPJ0v9cqtlEbRglHzGILothf9MwF91_gF3KutVMVRRwr9iGDbJ0dN8Lp1N8UQdmN9kKNY2sEl_28P3kwsKMg7_hOJCDjF5h4O4IEIH6Y0sn1aA337q/s1600/_L4C0888-Pano-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLo64Z0cz71rfiFQmyTJ8IheZryJAPJ0v9cqtlEbRglHzGILothf9MwF91_gF3KutVMVRRwr9iGDbJ0dN8Lp1N8UQdmN9kKNY2sEl_28P3kwsKMg7_hOJCDjF5h4O4IEIH6Y0sn1aA337q/s640/_L4C0888-Pano-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View to the west</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpySQSopqymJBFdMY1JE_sVWYOPTkhYlprPtKDz-52uroqYNttMXeg5v_L81isHS62_UF1yCmAb54POemBcAf7SXUNB1KmUis4bCnMleUKe61xg00vpRd15UndGhR1T48X32EzUCVc5CF/s1600/_L4C0874-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpySQSopqymJBFdMY1JE_sVWYOPTkhYlprPtKDz-52uroqYNttMXeg5v_L81isHS62_UF1yCmAb54POemBcAf7SXUNB1KmUis4bCnMleUKe61xg00vpRd15UndGhR1T48X32EzUCVc5CF/s640/_L4C0874-2k.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milky Way with greenish airglow near the horizon</td></tr>
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Our night sky experience was really good, especially since almost no one was up there. But when we returned another day for sunrise, we were shoulder to shoulder with others who got up early to watch the show. We had another very fortunate experience with the moon, too, as it rose in the east just before the sun.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9uhxnnBh0YV1DedU1kXJ4qcB3F0Zp59tsoRx8FDUuPpOIzjI6-of-PlltUog5MOvmIcf1FVIH5G1O1sHDa3R4gvpAzi2I-_FpwR_BOfmuN6ZWhR8oPZuvpfGuiqt4k8XwvpIR8RVcKHw/s1600/_L4C9751-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9uhxnnBh0YV1DedU1kXJ4qcB3F0Zp59tsoRx8FDUuPpOIzjI6-of-PlltUog5MOvmIcf1FVIH5G1O1sHDa3R4gvpAzi2I-_FpwR_BOfmuN6ZWhR8oPZuvpfGuiqt4k8XwvpIR8RVcKHw/s640/_L4C9751-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-dawn skies with the summit parking lot almost full!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFc4xjzvkN1hqZhke7rBhzRZl-q8gW0idlOtOnc9IfkNnoDNi1tIc8zar9l9gRIqlYJQGQvAZ1Da3FdKLlQaJqA7wVWPzRaWDAMlqlVr91Txr36mk5QGZq16OhFrmpbLAE1LyZjdFo5LrK/s1600/_L4C9769-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFc4xjzvkN1hqZhke7rBhzRZl-q8gW0idlOtOnc9IfkNnoDNi1tIc8zar9l9gRIqlYJQGQvAZ1Da3FdKLlQaJqA7wVWPzRaWDAMlqlVr91Txr36mk5QGZq16OhFrmpbLAE1LyZjdFo5LrK/s640/_L4C9769-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-dawn rise of the crescent moon</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEqmgkx6zT2wfaigMAau8HDPGwqDPi24z3JhaVfAwD1-TfMvqUNkInjLlkk_otpOBhEVRJZzA-BK9wWulJ3JhiQdj9LyqmX0IGuQNCF4FY9IBwLmBajz1FP5x6XzegbdvKU8Qgjbylp23/s1600/_L4C9793-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEqmgkx6zT2wfaigMAau8HDPGwqDPi24z3JhaVfAwD1-TfMvqUNkInjLlkk_otpOBhEVRJZzA-BK9wWulJ3JhiQdj9LyqmX0IGuQNCF4FY9IBwLmBajz1FP5x6XzegbdvKU8Qgjbylp23/s640/_L4C9793-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were shoulder-to-shoulder with other sunrise observers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSodZykkPW6DZiPyZvPNTWrhKKBSqKbi9GdxwoQegMrpZkR0WXEpLBgRMx9pwI-ovVEClAtGo89cvp7OVLO0lTgABkW8YgANUfEY2LQK97aMhpsUUJbhjcHwRiRh6he23lkuSpv5fNolT/s1600/_L4C9787-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSodZykkPW6DZiPyZvPNTWrhKKBSqKbi9GdxwoQegMrpZkR0WXEpLBgRMx9pwI-ovVEClAtGo89cvp7OVLO0lTgABkW8YgANUfEY2LQK97aMhpsUUJbhjcHwRiRh6he23lkuSpv5fNolT/s640/_L4C9787-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another shot of the crescent moon just before sunrise</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ExX5pc0Pe92luFlNqyy0QUY4_NEq8Q68LdfYIX5EadAMa480OBBccptpk1YM_dNNRbkcBM2WyEc2Hp77dTfBhad-VbSP7gvaiGspuU4PY4Hlq7gg98es1dt4xgbVT8Wyn4xIxd6WcMeV/s1600/_L4C9855-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ExX5pc0Pe92luFlNqyy0QUY4_NEq8Q68LdfYIX5EadAMa480OBBccptpk1YM_dNNRbkcBM2WyEc2Hp77dTfBhad-VbSP7gvaiGspuU4PY4Hlq7gg98es1dt4xgbVT8Wyn4xIxd6WcMeV/s640/_L4C9855-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise</td></tr>
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Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com1Maui County, HI, USA20.7983626 -156.3319252999999719.848790100000002 -157.62281879999998 21.7479351 -155.04103179999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-75706046314951774412015-05-25T20:41:00.000-07:002015-05-25T20:41:06.188-07:00Fading Light and Active Clouds (May 25, 2015)As the light began to fade today, Susan said, as she often does, "you should take a picture of that."<br />
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She is usually right, so I did. :-)<br />
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Here are a few pictures taken as the light faded on the mountains around our house.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eRwI4kAzufg/VWPm72sDVEI/AAAAAAABHRU/1zBtT764R_Q/s1600/_L4C6348-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eRwI4kAzufg/VWPm72sDVEI/AAAAAAABHRU/1zBtT764R_Q/s640/_L4C6348-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twin Sisters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vcT3jPaNGxI/VWPm-BNRQcI/AAAAAAABHRU/7Ryk0cVeLj4/s1600/_L4C6354-Edit-Edit-Edit-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vcT3jPaNGxI/VWPm-BNRQcI/AAAAAAABHRU/7Ryk0cVeLj4/s640/_L4C6354-Edit-Edit-Edit-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of the rocks and trees to the southeast</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PptPgidhv6k/VWPnAEuQ3pI/AAAAAAABHRU/Sbzg4RHCYjE/s1600/_L4C6367-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PptPgidhv6k/VWPnAEuQ3pI/AAAAAAABHRU/Sbzg4RHCYjE/s640/_L4C6367-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rocks and trees to the east</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-72CmM-iXRY4/VWPnDDwhEAI/AAAAAAABHRU/lW-mL1aqG5g/s1600/_L4C6377-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-72CmM-iXRY4/VWPnDDwhEAI/AAAAAAABHRU/lW-mL1aqG5g/s640/_L4C6377-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of some formations to the south</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O8l32kwogl8/VWPnJ7feXLI/AAAAAAABHRU/wDWe_UGe5tM/s1600/_L4C6382-Edit-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O8l32kwogl8/VWPnJ7feXLI/AAAAAAABHRU/wDWe_UGe5tM/s640/_L4C6382-Edit-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twin Sisters. Can you see the antenna on the right snow-covered (actual) summit?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-28vdHgC_MvE/VWPnKEl6laI/AAAAAAABHRU/5qhWFJ1BsXU/s1600/_L4C6393-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-28vdHgC_MvE/VWPnKEl6laI/AAAAAAABHRU/5qhWFJ1BsXU/s640/_L4C6393-2k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mule deer passing through after the sun had gone down</td></tr>
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<br />Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com0Larimer County, CO, USA40.347852413075472 -105.512695312540.32365291307547 -105.5530358125 40.372051913075474 -105.4723548125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-55983631301639099052015-05-23T11:53:00.001-07:002015-05-25T12:51:34.900-07:00Lily Lake Walk (May 23, 2015)We've had one of the rainiest springs here that we can remember! Some locations in the foothills, like Golden, have gotten over 12" of rain this spring. And it's not over.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-94BLVivAoyE/VWDJ1P8u8DI/AAAAAAABHM8/WXls9QtMIBQ/s1600/_L4C6211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-94BLVivAoyE/VWDJ1P8u8DI/AAAAAAABHM8/WXls9QtMIBQ/s640/_L4C6211.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twin Sisters, viewed from our house yesterday evening</td></tr>
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When we woke up to clear blue skies this morning we decided to do a walk around Lily Lake before the clouds moved in again.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b-9slejJ3Rg/VWDYWEIihuI/AAAAAAABHNM/uGwrhP8J12w/s1600/LilyLakeTrail.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="444" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b-9slejJ3Rg/VWDYWEIihuI/AAAAAAABHNM/uGwrhP8J12w/s640/LilyLakeTrail.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We covered the blue lines on this outing</td></tr>
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When we arrived at Lily Lake a little after 9am, Longs Peak wasn't visible, but as we continued we got some very good views of it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z-EoAV3sb0I/VWDK2r_YCUI/AAAAAAABHM8/JSOMgMJAE5U/s1600/_L4C6294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z-EoAV3sb0I/VWDK2r_YCUI/AAAAAAABHM8/JSOMgMJAE5U/s640/_L4C6294.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longs Peak obscured by clouds (Estes Cone at right)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zq9iWoFDVW0/VWDKdMZBa9I/AAAAAAABHM8/MTmWlLqs2v4/s1600/_L4C6255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zq9iWoFDVW0/VWDKdMZBa9I/AAAAAAABHM8/MTmWlLqs2v4/s640/_L4C6255.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quaking Aspen starting to leaf out!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SvD0Ma6qrr0/VWDKEg6758I/AAAAAAABHM8/qJW1x_VX8C0/s1600/_L4C6230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SvD0Ma6qrr0/VWDKEg6758I/AAAAAAABHM8/qJW1x_VX8C0/s640/_L4C6230.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View to the northwest</td></tr>
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It was also very obvious that beavers were doing a lot of work on the southwest side of the lake. We might have to go back out at dusk to see if we can watch them working.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zf_W-88VJpo/VWDY4_30UtI/AAAAAAABHNs/0NjO77DeCJ0/s1600/IMG_4224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zf_W-88VJpo/VWDY4_30UtI/AAAAAAABHNs/0NjO77DeCJ0/s640/IMG_4224.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beaver dam (or lodge?) right off the accessible trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9xMjladSpKw/VWDY1TEWwkI/AAAAAAABHNk/GIRSlCieMzs/s1600/IMG_4223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9xMjladSpKw/VWDY1TEWwkI/AAAAAAABHNk/GIRSlCieMzs/s640/IMG_4223.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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We also got a chance to see a few birds, including the Red-winged Blackbird, Ring-necked Duck, a Mallard, Brewer's Blackbird, a couple of Canada Geese.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sETC2Vs-pjU/VWDJ4I-ItrI/AAAAAAABHM8/sPtVxapmeqY/s1600/_L4C6218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sETC2Vs-pjU/VWDJ4I-ItrI/AAAAAAABHM8/sPtVxapmeqY/s640/_L4C6218.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ring-necked Duck</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qD5kLYPk8K8/VWDKBpmNOiI/AAAAAAABHM8/cJywdMTGC0A/s1600/_L4C6229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qD5kLYPk8K8/VWDKBpmNOiI/AAAAAAABHM8/cJywdMTGC0A/s640/_L4C6229.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mallard</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaqLeEb9A2ie8S8lT6dCojwbuX3vgd7e0hITTcdT70TdGqjM6Hn6eQ3xwPkYG6wgC4WLUyLq9m5sxACfH0aDafxntq8MQw0w6Aixq0OLqpbIgvv73oD0Gn6yiElYKJCGmONX6oVVv_dX-/s1600/_L4C6300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaqLeEb9A2ie8S8lT6dCojwbuX3vgd7e0hITTcdT70TdGqjM6Hn6eQ3xwPkYG6wgC4WLUyLq9m5sxACfH0aDafxntq8MQw0w6Aixq0OLqpbIgvv73oD0Gn6yiElYKJCGmONX6oVVv_dX-/s640/_L4C6300.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red-winged Blackbird in breeding plumage</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gsjqs57casU/VWDLFFwRI3I/AAAAAAABHM8/UQ5_Wd71GMs/s1600/_L4C6309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gsjqs57casU/VWDLFFwRI3I/AAAAAAABHM8/UQ5_Wd71GMs/s640/_L4C6309.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brewer's Blackbird</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fXZbInuHS9o/VWDLIbZQVpI/AAAAAAABHM8/lPLnN6baGkw/s1600/_L4C6313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fXZbInuHS9o/VWDLIbZQVpI/AAAAAAABHM8/lPLnN6baGkw/s640/_L4C6313.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brewer's Blackbird in an unusual pose</td></tr>
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Mike had some fun photographing a cute little Douglas squirrel, <i>Tamiasciurus douglasii</i>, (aka pine squirrel or chickaree) busily chomping away on a pine cone.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7vxa7ucqWSY/VWDKIwQmnJI/AAAAAAABHM8/I-x_KpLRBzs/s1600/_L4C6234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7vxa7ucqWSY/VWDKIwQmnJI/AAAAAAABHM8/I-x_KpLRBzs/s640/_L4C6234.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1tqksZIeV04/VWDKLY_vT1I/AAAAAAABHM8/3rvIGos8xcw/s1600/_L4C6236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1tqksZIeV04/VWDKLY_vT1I/AAAAAAABHM8/3rvIGos8xcw/s640/_L4C6236.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FfHpGRuet1M/VWDKRGMOiMI/AAAAAAABHM8/5y0QZpcoyHY/s1600/_L4C6243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FfHpGRuet1M/VWDKRGMOiMI/AAAAAAABHM8/5y0QZpcoyHY/s640/_L4C6243.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-80Go2bzJFEI/VWDKaOxz_tI/AAAAAAABHM8/Tf4HEedot_g/s1600/_L4C6251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-80Go2bzJFEI/VWDKaOxz_tI/AAAAAAABHM8/Tf4HEedot_g/s640/_L4C6251.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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When the clouds cleared, Longs Peak, capped with a lot of recent spring snow, appeared in dramatic fashion!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p4hdxYilLL0/VWDKik1sbeI/AAAAAAABHM8/Qiq1AORBUpA/s1600/_L4C6276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p4hdxYilLL0/VWDKik1sbeI/AAAAAAABHM8/Qiq1AORBUpA/s640/_L4C6276.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left to right: Mt Meeker, Longs Peak, Mt Lady Washington, and Estes Cone</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3HGPsMAy9ic/VWDKwZMEqBI/AAAAAAABHM8/fr8fFdfMpSM/s1600/_L4C6285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3HGPsMAy9ic/VWDKwZMEqBI/AAAAAAABHM8/fr8fFdfMpSM/s640/_L4C6285.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longs Peak! Do you see the beaver?</td></tr>
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We timed our outing just right. By the time we got home the skies turned dark and cloudy and the rain started falling again!Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com0Lily Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado 80517, USA40.3070475 -105.5404763999999940.3040205 -105.54551889999999 40.310074500000006 -105.53543389999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-76848306163513782862015-03-25T17:33:00.000-07:002015-05-25T12:51:58.206-07:00Fairbanks, Alaska Aurora-chasing - Part II (March 10-23, 2015)<div>
[ <a href="http://www.justournature.com/2015/03/fairbanks-alaska-aurora-chasing-part-i.html">...continued from Part I</a> ]</div>
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The Aurora was so active this year that our chasing had left us little time for much else besides trying to catch up on sleep during the day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IGkQHC1bMIs/VR65G8-_StI/AAAAAAABF9U/xvCZDg2r2X8/s1600/_L4C4791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IGkQHC1bMIs/VR65G8-_StI/AAAAAAABF9U/xvCZDg2r2X8/s1600/_L4C4791.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not everything in Fairbanks is about the aurora :-)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mi6ba4iIA3w/VR65ZmrEXMI/AAAAAAABF9U/uB7bLSWFdxA/s1600/_L4C5247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mi6ba4iIA3w/VR65ZmrEXMI/AAAAAAABF9U/uB7bLSWFdxA/s1600/_L4C5247.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We never tired of our view of the birch forest around "our house"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zLVvMg2eH0Y/VR65qMCWAXI/AAAAAAABF9U/YWS4y0ZdYok/s1600/_L4C5249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zLVvMg2eH0Y/VR65qMCWAXI/AAAAAAABF9U/YWS4y0ZdYok/s1600/_L4C5249.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Our house"</td></tr>
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But there were a couple of local attractions we wanted to visit, or revisit, so in between naps and our obsessive monitoring of space and local weather, we managed to get out a few times to do something during daylight hours.<br />
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We dropped in to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creamer%27s_Field_Migratory_Waterfowl_Refuge" target="_blank">Creamer's Field Migratory Wildlife Refuge</a> a couple of times, once getting in a walk when it was about -20F. Not much to see there yet in the way of birds, though we saw quite a few common redpolls around our house and the UAF campus.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BasBsyYMjNA/VSaxoRWyFUI/AAAAAAABGD0/M8kqD3ikd98/s1600/_L4C3773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BasBsyYMjNA/VSaxoRWyFUI/AAAAAAABGD0/M8kqD3ikd98/s1600/_L4C3773.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunny but -20 Fahrenheit walk at Creamer's Field</td></tr>
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We also didn't see any snow buntings this year, though we did last year. And we looked for the Bohemian Waxwings again at the <a href="http://georgesonbg.org/" target="_blank">Georgeson Botanical Garden</a> at UAF, but they hadn't made their appearance just yet.<br />
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We really enjoyed our visit to the <a href="http://www.icealaska.com/" target="_blank">World Ice Sculpture Championships</a> at the Ice Park in Fairbanks. Susan had stopped by the Ice Park last year, but only during daylight and after warm weather had degraded a lot of the sculptures. She was keen to go back with me. We went during the day, but returned later that night with the tripod to get some photos of the illuminated sculptures. The artistry and detail in these sculptures is incredible, and reminded us a lot of the <a href="http://www.justournature.com/2013/01/2013-international-snow-sculpture.html" target="_blank">snow sculpture competition held in Breckenridge, Colorado</a> each year.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xhE7uM1spJI/VSazOk8XLjI/AAAAAAABGEM/6cOlSgjPTz4/s1600/_L4C3975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xhE7uM1spJI/VSazOk8XLjI/AAAAAAABGEM/6cOlSgjPTz4/s1600/_L4C3975.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan at the Ice Park entrance</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QbyZuwuaDkQ/VSa5kMPDEhI/AAAAAAABGGI/ooJH4GyTjdY/s1600/_L4C3988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QbyZuwuaDkQ/VSa5kMPDEhI/AAAAAAABGGI/ooJH4GyTjdY/s1600/_L4C3988.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moonlight Courtship</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FrEbP_c-RYs/VSa5m4CofuI/AAAAAAABGGQ/pi-V8UK8-Mk/s1600/_L4C3993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FrEbP_c-RYs/VSa5m4CofuI/AAAAAAABGGQ/pi-V8UK8-Mk/s1600/_L4C3993.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some cold ice-carving conditions</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-As1YqDotZHM/VSa1AgNwHZI/AAAAAAABGEk/5eSKWDTm8OQ/s1600/IMG_3416-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-As1YqDotZHM/VSa1AgNwHZI/AAAAAAABGEk/5eSKWDTm8OQ/s1600/IMG_3416-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan "lost" in the ice maze</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AinRr4b1Yt0/VSa5pkaQWVI/AAAAAAABGGY/Vz-UOcDobUY/s1600/_L4C4017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AinRr4b1Yt0/VSa5pkaQWVI/AAAAAAABGGY/Vz-UOcDobUY/s1600/_L4C4017.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A real ice house!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still at work after dark</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Staying warm</td></tr>
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We also visited the outstanding <a href="http://www.fountainheadmuseum.com/" target="_blank">Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum</a> in Fairbanks. This museum is a real treasure for car lovers and has over 85 antique cars, many of them found only in this museum, all lovingly restored in-house, and most of them still driven at least once a year on public roads!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan at the entrance</td></tr>
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And while we were dressing up for the picture below, I ran into <a href="http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/zane-giles.html" target="_blank">Zane Giles</a>, an aurora-chaser and photographer from Anchorage we met at Two Rivers at the Pi Party on 3.14! He was kind enough to take our picture.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They let us dress up and sit in one of the cars :-) Thanks for the photo, Zane!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1903 Cadillac</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan with the 1912 Peerless Model 36-K Touring</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1909 Whiting Model A Roadster</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">1906 Pope-Toledo Type XII 7-passenger Touring</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Us with the spark plug collection</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">1911 Ford Model T C-Cab Depot Hack</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1936 Packard Dual Cowl Convertible Touring</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">1932 Chrysler Custom Imperial Series CL Convertible Sedan</td></tr>
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We also visited the <a href="http://www.uaf.edu/" target="_blank">University of Alaska - Fairbanks</a> <a href="https://www.uaf.edu/museum/" target="_blank">Museum of the North</a>. Unfortunately, none of the movies we wanted to see were showing the day we were there, but we toured the main exhibits and definitely enjoyed our visit.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan at the Museum of the North at UAF campus</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every parking spot on campus had a power outlet to charge our iPhones! :-)</td></tr>
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A new museum exhibit was the <b>Arctic Odyssey: Voyages of the <i>R/V Sikuliaq.</i></b> This interesting exhibit had a lot of <a href="https://arcticodyssey.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">information about life and scientific work</a> aboard this arctic research vessel.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">R/V Sikuliaq model and arctic research exhibit</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool illustration of deep ocean pressure literally shrinking a styrofoam cup</td></tr>
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Susan noted that among the many fine exhibits in the natural history section of the museum that there were no mentions or displays of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collared_pika" target="_blank">Collared Pika</a>, a cousin to the <a href="http://www.justournature.com/2014/09/front-range-pika-project-augsep.html" target="_blank">American Pika we have here in Colorado</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petey Pika searching for his collared pika cousin :-)</td></tr>
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The 2nd floor gave us a better view of a cool <a href="http://news.uaf.edu/museum-offers-snow-drawing-event/" target="_blank">"snow drawing" art piece in a field</a> across from the museum. It was made by volunteers who left tracks on the field under the direction of the artist.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow drawing art piece across from the Museum</td></tr>
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On our last day we treated ourselves to dinner at our favorite restaurant and watering hole, the <a href="http://www.silvergulch.com/brewery.htm" target="_blank">Silver Gulch Brewery and Bottling Company</a> in Fox, but not before refilling our water reservoirs from the <a href="http://www.alaska.org/detail/fox-spring" target="_blank">Fox spring</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike getting the good water at Fox Spring</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silver Gulch Brewery and Restaurant -- good food and drink!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan on our last aurora outing near LARS</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goodbye from Alaska this aurora season</td></tr>
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Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com3Fairbanks, AK, USA64.8377778 -147.7163888999999764.7297183 -148.03911239999996 64.9458373 -147.39366539999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-85066136115473613072015-03-24T17:33:00.000-07:002015-04-09T14:56:41.376-07:00Fairbanks, Alaska Aurora-chasing - Part I (March 10-23, 2015)Hello. Our names are Susan & Mike. And we have not chased the aurora in <a href="http://www.justournature.com/2014/03/fairbanks-alaska-part-iii-northern.html" target="_blank">360 days</a>. :-)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first stop was the Trans-Alaska Pipeline viewpoint; got a similar pic last year :-)</td></tr>
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So, Fairbanks here we come! Thanks to our home exchange friends, we had another Aurora viewing opportunity, locals style. Connecting again with the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/auroranotify/" target="_blank">Alaska Aurora-loving community on FaceBook</a>, we found new locations to view Lady Aurora, shared photography tips, made some new friends and even were invited to a party. </div>
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The <a href="http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/communities/space-weather-enthusiasts" target="_blank">space weather</a> cooperated, and although the local weather at times was brutally cold, the skies were mostly clear. We came home with many more memories... and images to share.</div>
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We flew in on a red-eye, hoping to catch the aurora from the plane, but no luck with that. We settled into our familiar surroundings quickly, filled our pantry, took a nap and were ready to go out into the sub-zero night see the lights. First night out and BAM! there they were, as good as anything we had seen all of <a href="http://www.justournature.com/2014/03/fairbanks-alaska-part-iii-northern.html">last March</a> concentrated into one night's viewing.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jSsEoXzlVig/VR627rgyrWI/AAAAAAABF9U/ko1YQE1MyHc/s1600/_L4C3753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jSsEoXzlVig/VR627rgyrWI/AAAAAAABF9U/ko1YQE1MyHc/s1600/_L4C3753.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Nordale Road, looking mostly east</td></tr>
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We could've gone home right then satisfied with our experience. But fortunately we didn't have to, and there was even more space weather on the way. </div>
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It turns out that "2297" must be our lucky number. Active Region (AR) 2297 was the designation for a region of sunspots on the surface of the sun which began rotating into an earth-facing position just as we left for our trip. AR2297 was considered to be a fairly quiet area, but it seemed to be waking up, throwing off several small, medium and large solar flares about the time we arrived in Fairbanks. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6UGq4VP2gwQ/VSA9h8WqCvI/AAAAAAABF-s/1YzY1fTKGdI/s1600/SOHO-2015-03-11-mdi_sunspots_1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6UGq4VP2gwQ/VSA9h8WqCvI/AAAAAAABF-s/1YzY1fTKGdI/s1600/SOHO-2015-03-11-mdi_sunspots_1024.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sun on March 11 showing AR2297. Note size of earth at lower right!</td></tr>
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We settled into our daily routine: sleeping as late as possible, monitoring space weather forecasts, interacting with Fairbanks aurora-chasing social networks, taking late-day naps, eating a late dinner, and then heading out into the cold night to several locations to observe and photograph the aurora.</div>
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An invaluable resource for aurora-chasing in Fairbanks was the <a href="http://www.ronnmurrayphoto.com/NorthernLights-AuroraCamera/AlaskaAuroraCam" target="_blank">live webcam</a> of <a href="http://www.ronnmurrayphoto.com/" target="_blank">Ronn and Marketa Murray</a>. Refreshing their webcam constantly was part of our nightly ritual! Maybe next time we'll join them on an aurora-chasing tour to the Arctic Circle. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ZgbjIp-9a4/VR62vJVbT_I/AAAAAAABF9U/9PsyprcKyEM/s1600/_L4C3718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ZgbjIp-9a4/VR62vJVbT_I/AAAAAAABF9U/9PsyprcKyEM/s1600/_L4C3718.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another shot from Nordale Road, early on March 12</td></tr>
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One member of a Facebook group we were a part of invited us to a <a href="http://www.piday.org/2015/pi-day-of-the-century/" target="_blank">Pi Day</a> (3.14) celebration. So we drove to Two Rivers, Alaska, about halfway to Chena Hot Springs where we joined <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/dinjik" target="_blank">Mariska Wright </a>and other aurora-chasers and photographers at the Pleasant Valley Community Center. This was a fantastic viewing location, away from the lights of Fairbanks, plus we had WiFi, restrooms, and a place to warm up. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CAi4FtTTYpA/VR63SAJH4NI/AAAAAAABF9U/39Ik9WYfE7Y/s1600/_L4C3855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CAi4FtTTYpA/VR63SAJH4NI/AAAAAAABF9U/39Ik9WYfE7Y/s1600/_L4C3855.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the Pleasant Valley Community Center</td></tr>
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And we definitely needed to warm up, as we were in a deep freeze! When we arrived on the 10th, it was 20 degrees below zero at the airport, and in the first few days, it was dropping to nearly -30F at night and barely getting above zero during the day. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OmhsLHtNbI0/VR63WB9CCaI/AAAAAAABF9U/QZSGnku836E/s1600/_L4C3872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OmhsLHtNbI0/VR63WB9CCaI/AAAAAAABF9U/QZSGnku836E/s1600/_L4C3872.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking northwest from the Pi Day party location in Two Rivers</td></tr>
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The Pi Day party was fantastic, and we met several new people, plus someone we met last year. And though this wasn't the most active night of aurora we saw, it was very enjoyable. And we set a new personal record for experiencing cold weather. By about 2am, the temperature at Two Rivers dropped to -33F! </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OJM6HYkqd0Q/VSA77SXJTnI/AAAAAAABF-g/joThY1k1U9Y/s1600/IMG_0172.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OJM6HYkqd0Q/VSA77SXJTnI/AAAAAAABF-g/joThY1k1U9Y/s1600/IMG_0172.PNG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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And with these temperatures, for the first time, Mike had problems with camera batteries conking out in the cold. And it turns out that iPhones don't like this kind of cold either. And Mike nearly got frostbite on his nose from pressing it against the camera. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-87UCYzH8O6Q/VR63QVCl06I/AAAAAAABF9U/7Iv-pXTZHUk/s1600/IMG_3407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-87UCYzH8O6Q/VR63QVCl06I/AAAAAAABF9U/7Iv-pXTZHUk/s1600/IMG_3407.JPG" height="640" width="594" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iced over, but still working great!</td></tr>
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On our next night out, we went back to Goldstream Road for a little while. But there wasn't a lot of activity, so we quit early (at about 1am). </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lF-t9oRkNMQ/VR63d5nQOkI/AAAAAAABF9U/TYfwqXMIYsU/s1600/_L4C3964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lF-t9oRkNMQ/VR63d5nQOkI/AAAAAAABF9U/TYfwqXMIYsU/s1600/_L4C3964.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along Goldstream Road, north of Fairbanks</td></tr>
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And then AR2297 released an earth-directed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronal_mass_ejection" target="_blank">Coronal Mass Ejection</a> (CME) on March 15th. CMEs are like candy for aurora chasers, as when the CME hits the earth's magnetic field, we get increased auroral activity. At first, the CME was predicted to hit on March 18, but it arrived a day early, but unfortunately, the skies over Fairbanks were overcast! So frustrating to be at the right place to see the largest solar storm of the last decade and we couldn't see it!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KBHiKcN950Y/VSBWm1MfOXI/AAAAAAABF-8/-q4BqOS49IQ/s1600/0318-2015%2BOvation-Prime%2BModel.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KBHiKcN950Y/VSBWm1MfOXI/AAAAAAABF-8/-q4BqOS49IQ/s1600/0318-2015%2BOvation-Prime%2BModel.png" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This kind of image (a computer model) gets aurora chasers pretty excited!</td></tr>
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But the CME was part of much more active space weather and the next few days had fantastic levels of auroral activity. </div>
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We continued to learn of new locations to see the aurora, and decided to give Transmitter Road on Eielson AFB a try. This was a great place to go. Not many people, very safe, with amenities like coffee and restrooms only 15-20 min away. We decided to get a room on-base and ended up staying out until almost 4am, catching fantastic displays from the St Patrick's Day storm!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k9vLbIbLtgg/VSBZ7AzTtSI/AAAAAAABF_I/Yx32To3AX1o/s1600/_L4C4207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k9vLbIbLtgg/VSBZ7AzTtSI/AAAAAAABF_I/Yx32To3AX1o/s1600/_L4C4207.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9:06pm on Eielson AFB. Aurora before it was even completely dark!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s974UGrTx1o/VSBbFrCl1LI/AAAAAAABF_U/cCVFqcgNe68/s1600/_L4C4226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s974UGrTx1o/VSBbFrCl1LI/AAAAAAABF_U/cCVFqcgNe68/s1600/_L4C4226.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Later along Transmitter Road on Eielson AFB</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQBo_iWVmFA/VSBbIsHsPPI/AAAAAAABF_c/e1Ws-UXJhUQ/s1600/_L4C4284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQBo_iWVmFA/VSBbIsHsPPI/AAAAAAABF_c/e1Ws-UXJhUQ/s1600/_L4C4284.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eielson AFB</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JIe9sbG0qqc/VR64h0EkvFI/AAAAAAABF9U/lGrNWxop69Q/s1600/_L4C4587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JIe9sbG0qqc/VR64h0EkvFI/AAAAAAABF9U/lGrNWxop69Q/s1600/_L4C4587.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corona overhead at Eielson AFB</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-El616vq3gxE/VR64cTabXoI/AAAAAAABF9U/RmBfxWQFFrA/s1600/_L4C4569.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-El616vq3gxE/VR64cTabXoI/AAAAAAABF9U/RmBfxWQFFrA/s1600/_L4C4569.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aurora with clouds near Eielson AFB</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sRWJ7m0kUTU/VR64mFtOAsI/AAAAAAABF9U/IgDJNHCmuM8/s1600/_L4C4596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sRWJ7m0kUTU/VR64mFtOAsI/AAAAAAABF9U/IgDJNHCmuM8/s1600/_L4C4596.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More corona</td></tr>
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On our second night at Eielson we met up with several people from our FB social group, including some people we met at the Pi Day party. We traded location and photography tips. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q38cQvw67LE/VR648N6RpuI/AAAAAAABF9U/VtVBPGVECXE/s1600/_L4C4746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q38cQvw67LE/VR648N6RpuI/AAAAAAABF9U/VtVBPGVECXE/s1600/_L4C4746.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On a frozen lake at Eielson with other Facebook aurora-chasers; purple is lights from North Pole, AK</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HSGxPuc9U9Q/VR64zsWfmrI/AAAAAAABF9U/y4XUsvjJWiI/s1600/_L4C4709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HSGxPuc9U9Q/VR64zsWfmrI/AAAAAAABF9U/y4XUsvjJWiI/s1600/_L4C4709.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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On another night we went back to the Pipeline viewpoint only to find a tour bus there with dozens of other people. It was quite a zoo around and under the pipeline!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3H8vlrkY4hk/VR65A7tgiFI/AAAAAAABF9U/O0WKEx6AnY8/s1600/_L4C4779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3H8vlrkY4hk/VR65A7tgiFI/AAAAAAABF9U/O0WKEx6AnY8/s1600/_L4C4779.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of people here from a tour bus...</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8NC34_mKMEI/VR65DEUXxXI/AAAAAAABF9U/LdRzIcqMaPc/s1600/_L4C4783.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8NC34_mKMEI/VR65DEUXxXI/AAAAAAABF9U/LdRzIcqMaPc/s1600/_L4C4783.jpg" height="400" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... but no people looking to the east!</td></tr>
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Another new location was Olnes Pond, about 25 miles north of Fairbanks on the Elliott Highway. Pretty dark there, but not far from the highway itself, which made it none too quiet. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fKGMq_t_2gc/VSBfV-_LuPI/AAAAAAABGAA/0ZtlG1_5x1A/s1600/_L4C5079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fKGMq_t_2gc/VSBfV-_LuPI/AAAAAAABGAA/0ZtlG1_5x1A/s1600/_L4C5079.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking north from Olnes Pond</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRx3TbKHmjjarBUQLQXnwJSAnrN06ds6N7AUWVX2rNVX5c8NLrRz1HqZg5Rzo8K_FexAiNgeV5uNmRwz5ovDFic9y24Z1I71IEWEyhJYMXRXkKElVGykBu8bTYbOe7h3S9H-SfNwBO-cZE/s1600/_L4C5200-2k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRx3TbKHmjjarBUQLQXnwJSAnrN06ds6N7AUWVX2rNVX5c8NLrRz1HqZg5Rzo8K_FexAiNgeV5uNmRwz5ovDFic9y24Z1I71IEWEyhJYMXRXkKElVGykBu8bTYbOe7h3S9H-SfNwBO-cZE/s1600/_L4C5200-2k.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More friends we stumbled into at Olnes Pond</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K9FoDrmjNYY/VR65gYXe_1I/AAAAAAABF9U/XyYZdzZXxqs/s1600/StarStaX__L4C5086-2k-_L4C5192-2k_gap_filling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K9FoDrmjNYY/VR65gYXe_1I/AAAAAAABF9U/XyYZdzZXxqs/s1600/StarStaX__L4C5086-2k-_L4C5192-2k_gap_filling.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Star Trails with aurora at Olnes Pond (stacked images)</td></tr>
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We also decided to check out a nearby parking lot closer to where we were staying. This was just a couple of miles away, at the Large Animal Research Station (LARS), part of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. We didn't really expect to see a great display there as it was so close to the city, but the views were to the north and we had a fantastic display. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPCQVgBTs0XfXeHK-nr-0BBIBYEjB7JD-CbGmm1dnYqw36ZpKk_lqJQhyQJLbYsRyU0MFa5P3zzauiHyITVTpuzYXorpTRmJN25hmQ-L6KX5Ya5lphovy4sT0E5P7DDscUfTL7gO8AhJh/s1600/_L4C5288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPCQVgBTs0XfXeHK-nr-0BBIBYEjB7JD-CbGmm1dnYqw36ZpKk_lqJQhyQJLbYsRyU0MFa5P3zzauiHyITVTpuzYXorpTRmJN25hmQ-L6KX5Ya5lphovy4sT0E5P7DDscUfTL7gO8AhJh/s1600/_L4C5288.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the LARS parking lot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JJO7fnwSv_k/VR65wodTpbI/AAAAAAABF9U/8engnkxOqps/s1600/_L4C5296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JJO7fnwSv_k/VR65wodTpbI/AAAAAAABF9U/8engnkxOqps/s1600/_L4C5296.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another from LARS</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bG2Mp0tx6r8/VR652Va6KoI/AAAAAAABF9U/IC2HGZoWvZg/s1600/_L4C5377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bG2Mp0tx6r8/VR652Va6KoI/AAAAAAABF9U/IC2HGZoWvZg/s1600/_L4C5377.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another from LARS</td></tr>
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After stopping at LARS, we drove up onto the UAF campus and was surprised to see the bright aurora over the Museum of the North. Unfortunately, we were just worn out by this point and managed to knock the focus off on the camera, so only got this blurry picture. :-(</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vcapyWCC8sc/VSBjcnWAyRI/AAAAAAABGA0/_du6IrEQPiU/s1600/_L4C5438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vcapyWCC8sc/VSBjcnWAyRI/AAAAAAABGA0/_du6IrEQPiU/s1600/_L4C5438.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Museum of the North at UAF (note aurora over the building)</td></tr>
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We were so pleased to have had the opportunity to see so much Aurora in only a two week period. As our red eye flight took off over an hour late, we watched the first moon we had seen in Alaska this trip setting out of our plane window. The plane was half full so we each had a port side window seat with no one else in the row. Maybe 10 minutes into the flight I turned around to talk to Mike, looked out and saw green. She was waving goodbye! What a perfect ending to our trip.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rzMcNOPHA8U/VR655PE5HMI/AAAAAAABF9U/FrhboIYKPD8/s1600/_L4C5454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rzMcNOPHA8U/VR655PE5HMI/AAAAAAABF9U/FrhboIYKPD8/s1600/_L4C5454.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to leave Fairbanks for home</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nzujTfmC5Hk/VR659PMO1aI/AAAAAAABF9U/ZaKOxd3AMuo/s1600/_L4C5521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nzujTfmC5Hk/VR659PMO1aI/AAAAAAABF9U/ZaKOxd3AMuo/s1600/_L4C5521.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aurora viewed from our plane at over 30,000'</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CRZM9VULgXo/VR65-7dKOyI/AAAAAAABF9U/Ev65fP24LMs/s1600/_L4C5533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CRZM9VULgXo/VR65-7dKOyI/AAAAAAABF9U/Ev65fP24LMs/s1600/_L4C5533.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another shot from the plane</td></tr>
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Here's one more aurora shot we like. So the last picture on this page isn't blurry. :-)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ducyiM00cEI/VR6430-hv4I/AAAAAAABF9U/FwZaqlokl1g/s1600/_L4C4721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ducyiM00cEI/VR6430-hv4I/AAAAAAABF9U/FwZaqlokl1g/s1600/_L4C4721.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corona</td></tr>
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This was a great trip, and we are so delighted to have made so many new friends (Mariska, Monica, Mary, Celeste, Pattie, Diane, Terry, Bill, Jon, Zane, Roger and more), and learned so much more about chasing the aurora. </div>
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<a href="http://www.justournature.com/2015/03/fairbanks-alaska-aurora-chasing-part-ii.html">Click here to continue on to Part II</a> of the Fairbanks trip with photos from other activities besides aurora-chasing.<br />
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Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com3Fairbanks North Star, AK, USA64.877453687430148 -147.6614572593749764.769623687430141 -147.98418075937496 64.985283687430154 -147.33873375937497tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-42290322812035307662015-02-24T08:28:00.000-07:002015-05-25T13:03:29.785-07:00Lake Helene Snowshoe Hike (Feb 24, 2015)Susan and I have been talking about a bigger snowshoe hike for the past month or so, and we kept coming back to the idea of hiking up to Lake Helene in Rocky Mountain National Park, especially after a couple of our friends skied up there recently. We've hiked this area before, but not in the winter.<br />
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We'd gotten quite a bit of fresh snow recently and heard trail conditions were excellent.<br />
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So when Tuesday dawned and promised another bluebird day, we got our snowshoes out and headed up to Bear Lake to begin our hike.<br />
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The drive in to Rocky and up Bear Lake Road was beautiful and dramatic, as always.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Make your browser full screen and then click any image to see a larger version of it.</span><span style="color: #660000;"> </span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WdKZYCq0cFA/VPiFBKnrvdI/AAAAAAABFFM/-QPVtpV-17g/s1600/IMG_3679-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WdKZYCq0cFA/VPiFBKnrvdI/AAAAAAABFFM/-QPVtpV-17g/s1600/IMG_3679-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entering Rocky at the Beaver Meadows entrance</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along Bear Lake Road</td></tr>
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We didn't get going all that early, hitting the trail at just before 11am.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j687PH2mvP0/VPiKUs8ZaTI/AAAAAAABFGE/on9X01mw7Vs/s1600/_L4C3493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j687PH2mvP0/VPiKUs8ZaTI/AAAAAAABFGE/on9X01mw7Vs/s1600/_L4C3493.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan at the Bear Lake ranger hut</td></tr>
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The hike starts at 9,475' at Bear Lake, then heads up the Flattop Mountain Trail and then joins the Fern Lake Trail. The "published" distance is about 6.4 miles round trip, with a gain of about 1,300'.<br />
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We were well-equipped this time, learning our lesson from <a href="http://justournature.blogspot.com/2015/02/deer-mountain-winter-hike-feb-8-2015.html" target="_blank">our recent winter hike to Deer Mountain</a>.<br />
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The scenery along the snow-covered trail was simply beautiful and we were so happy to be outside!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F6WynZR4owo/VPiKZmwtbrI/AAAAAAABFGM/JXnsKK-OPmQ/s1600/_L4C3496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F6WynZR4owo/VPiKZmwtbrI/AAAAAAABFGM/JXnsKK-OPmQ/s1600/_L4C3496.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along the horse trail above Bear Lake; Hallett in background</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VRtcTbrEfIw/VPiKiABjbII/AAAAAAABFGc/PNFvHVOMGFw/s1600/_L4C3502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VRtcTbrEfIw/VPiKiABjbII/AAAAAAABFGc/PNFvHVOMGFw/s1600/_L4C3502.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longs Peak and Glacier Gorge</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tOsepGkvTPM/VPiFI6YB7kI/AAAAAAABFFc/hFQyeKCuJp8/s1600/IMG_3691-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tOsepGkvTPM/VPiFI6YB7kI/AAAAAAABFFc/hFQyeKCuJp8/s1600/IMG_3691-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike on the trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gJWqx-v2M5k/VPiKmIXqdyI/AAAAAAABFGk/a67HC2_sCvc/s1600/_L4C3503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gJWqx-v2M5k/VPiKmIXqdyI/AAAAAAABFGk/a67HC2_sCvc/s1600/_L4C3503.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back to the southeast</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9ep7JVM2mpko8vTkla7q5Rl2QGImP-ok3Y7cVd5KEOg6Q9byky0ZAewz3EdSalI7dGY88mjjUXYdza8bLk02pGkCck4aNXq-47HJjl7J_yUx7ndEg-TIfaOd5wn3B_VeFXv4QQV1KdO-/s1600/_L4C3506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9ep7JVM2mpko8vTkla7q5Rl2QGImP-ok3Y7cVd5KEOg6Q9byky0ZAewz3EdSalI7dGY88mjjUXYdza8bLk02pGkCck4aNXq-47HJjl7J_yUx7ndEg-TIfaOd5wn3B_VeFXv4QQV1KdO-/s1600/_L4C3506.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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When we got to the large open area below Flattop Mountain we could see ski tracks all over the place. This is a popular area for skiers and boarders to hike up and do runs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2B7vRTZqunk/VPiFK7UguaI/AAAAAAABFFk/o6jzBavPXLw/s1600/IMG_3697-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2B7vRTZqunk/VPiFK7UguaI/AAAAAAABFFk/o6jzBavPXLw/s1600/IMG_3697-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama with Mike at the "ski area" below Flattop</td></tr>
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From here, we "took the high road" climbing up higher than the summer trail. It was harder, but I think more scenic.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EDTSd2-AB2s/VPiNWX7PktI/AAAAAAABFG4/EL3aNEGiUCo/s1600/_L4C3510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EDTSd2-AB2s/VPiNWX7PktI/AAAAAAABFG4/EL3aNEGiUCo/s1600/_L4C3510.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking up at other snowshoers on the "high road"</td></tr>
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The trail had other tracks on it, but wasn't hard packed, and it was made a little more difficult by having to traverse a pretty steep slope.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VR0SbkJfEEc/VPiQgeiiptI/AAAAAAABFHk/0vylQA_H4tw/s1600/_L4C3537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VR0SbkJfEEc/VPiQgeiiptI/AAAAAAABFHk/0vylQA_H4tw/s1600/_L4C3537.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan on the trail traversing the steep mountain slope</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z5659pJlGeA/VPiOOpGGnKI/AAAAAAABFHQ/oSSIU1lBhBQ/s1600/_L4C3527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z5659pJlGeA/VPiOOpGGnKI/AAAAAAABFHQ/oSSIU1lBhBQ/s1600/_L4C3527.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along the trail</td></tr>
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As scenic as this route was, it turned out to be a minor error, as we ended up well above Two Rivers Lake and Lake Helene with no obvious or easy way to hike down. On the other hand, being above Lake Helene provided views of Notchtop Mountain and Joe Mills Mountain which we'd never seen before from this angle.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OveTNfhRCZM/VPiQkGimOLI/AAAAAAABFHs/vCdEYZ2B4MM/s1600/_L4C3550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OveTNfhRCZM/VPiQkGimOLI/AAAAAAABFHs/vCdEYZ2B4MM/s1600/_L4C3550.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our first views of Notchtop Mountain (right)</td></tr>
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As much as Lake Helene was our destination, the real draw for me was the imposing Notchtop Mountain.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tdlLCF00Wzg/VPiYM8W5PtI/AAAAAAABFJU/PVoGbPIInbQ/s1600/_L4C3571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tdlLCF00Wzg/VPiYM8W5PtI/AAAAAAABFJU/PVoGbPIInbQ/s1600/_L4C3571.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan presents... Notchtop Mountain!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GFo70kKGrtA/VPiU_6nO3eI/AAAAAAABFJI/EPn1nJD7NPo/s1600/_L4C3575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GFo70kKGrtA/VPiU_6nO3eI/AAAAAAABFJI/EPn1nJD7NPo/s1600/_L4C3575.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Favorite shot of the day of Notchtop. <br />
Note the hikers on the trail at bottom center.</td></tr>
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We'd been hiking pretty slowly and it was starting to get late, and also windy, so we chose a direct line down to Two Rivers Lake so we could hike back on the Fern Lake summer trail.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hCuuqdhfeSY/VPiFOYVJq9I/AAAAAAABFFs/R_tiRzXdlR8/s1600/IMG_3717-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hCuuqdhfeSY/VPiFOYVJq9I/AAAAAAABFFs/R_tiRzXdlR8/s1600/IMG_3717-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike breaking trail on the way down to Two Rivers Lake (center left, below)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hik_nYdzdkU/VPiTbQU51SI/AAAAAAABFII/Sz_OFRz1VQ0/s1600/_L4C3581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hik_nYdzdkU/VPiTbQU51SI/AAAAAAABFII/Sz_OFRz1VQ0/s1600/_L4C3581.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan heading down to Two Rivers Lake; Notchtop at right</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a2FkclMLCwg/VPiTmtaSVsI/AAAAAAABFIg/slvDM-2ALoY/s1600/_L4C3590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a2FkclMLCwg/VPiTmtaSVsI/AAAAAAABFIg/slvDM-2ALoY/s1600/_L4C3590.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of Notchtop Mountain</td></tr>
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At Two Rivers Lake we tried to sit for a few minutes to rest and have a snack, but it was just too windy to be comfortable, so we moved on down the trail.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NIvp0wZKVWM/VPiTe9opIlI/AAAAAAABFIQ/Dcslfr8tZcA/s1600/_L4C3587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NIvp0wZKVWM/VPiTe9opIlI/AAAAAAABFIQ/Dcslfr8tZcA/s1600/_L4C3587.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking across frozen Two Rivers Lake to Notchtop</td></tr>
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Before long we rejoined the trail we came up on, and continued on down to Bear Lake and finished up the hike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-morN_rYzAXA/VPiTiu8nYlI/AAAAAAABFIY/2myujvHE4Zw/s1600/_L4C3591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-morN_rYzAXA/VPiTiu8nYlI/AAAAAAABFIY/2myujvHE4Zw/s1600/_L4C3591.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back on the trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HN82tAhwv2Q/VPiTpSLqhPI/AAAAAAABFIo/bvSr0Pht06o/s1600/_L4C3594.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HN82tAhwv2Q/VPiTpSLqhPI/AAAAAAABFIo/bvSr0Pht06o/s1600/_L4C3594.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun shadows along the way</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dZ1CYquh7dk/VPiTsqVyswI/AAAAAAABFIw/vBTvyXXIgIE/s1600/_L4C3599.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dZ1CYquh7dk/VPiTsqVyswI/AAAAAAABFIw/vBTvyXXIgIE/s1600/_L4C3599.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan kicking it on the trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WGtnHDeon-4/VPiUMYSXfYI/AAAAAAABFI4/5XSqVXgUGhk/s1600/_L4C3605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WGtnHDeon-4/VPiUMYSXfYI/AAAAAAABFI4/5XSqVXgUGhk/s1600/_L4C3605.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Icicles on trees </td></tr>
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We ended up clocking a total of 6.9 miles with about 1,600 feet of gain. Here's the hike profile and map generated by <a href="http://blog.gaiagps.com/" target="_blank">Gaia GPS</a> on the iPhone.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SbP_o86moNc/VPiAnpgbU2I/AAAAAAABFE8/HX9Os-69jM8/s1600/LakeHeleneProfile.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="122" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SbP_o86moNc/VPiAnpgbU2I/AAAAAAABFE8/HX9Os-69jM8/s1600/LakeHeleneProfile.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t5xw5nCYhsw/VPiAp4qWwtI/AAAAAAABFE8/pF2SsRNVQDo/s1600/LakeHeleneMap.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="364" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t5xw5nCYhsw/VPiAp4qWwtI/AAAAAAABFE8/pF2SsRNVQDo/s1600/LakeHeleneMap.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcPmw62D909TGiJcdNXhlwbleSJKqJPFYLZjbx3dJVXh1stzDuALIupV5TTnLdKYbn47ueUww2jB3npY6fJ9jJ8QIYubJ74aQ4RjLfANU6TRyaKBUtlTgUkcJCcTxAn4FV2xi1JyHQhem/s1600/_L4C3621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcPmw62D909TGiJcdNXhlwbleSJKqJPFYLZjbx3dJVXh1stzDuALIupV5TTnLdKYbn47ueUww2jB3npY6fJ9jJ8QIYubJ74aQ4RjLfANU6TRyaKBUtlTgUkcJCcTxAn4FV2xi1JyHQhem/s1600/_L4C3621.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our last view of Hallett before heading to the car</td></tr>
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<br />Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-47302056651760778682015-02-15T13:25:00.000-07:002015-03-05T08:30:26.087-07:00Denver LoDo Weekend (Feb 14, 2015)One of the benefits of doing home exchanges is that the opportunity for a fun exchange comes up when you aren't expecting it.<br />
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We wouldn't normally be looking for a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LoDo,_Denver" target="_blank">Lower Downtown (LoDo) Denver</a> exchange, but when someone asked if we'd be interested in a long weekend exchange, we jumped on it. They were interested in using our home as a basecamp to do winter hiking in Rocky, and we had the chance to spend a leisurely Valentine's Day weekend in a more urban setting. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VqlgyFoeUfU/VPdpWutOIcI/AAAAAAABFC8/xWADLuDTo6g/s1600/_L4C3465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VqlgyFoeUfU/VPdpWutOIcI/AAAAAAABFC8/xWADLuDTo6g/s1600/_L4C3465.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rush hour on I-25; glad we were on foot!</td></tr>
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So on Thursday, we drove to Denver, parked our car in the underground garage, and left it there the entire weekend, walking or taking public transport everywhere we went. </div>
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We had a wonderful and modern downtown loft as our home for the weekend. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3m0yBvmTJlU/VPdwbRpWduI/AAAAAAABFDY/HE5e-foXQLk/s1600/IMG_3559-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3m0yBvmTJlU/VPdwbRpWduI/AAAAAAABFDY/HE5e-foXQLk/s1600/IMG_3559-2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dining room</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ECwSwLG_B4k/VPdweUq1qOI/AAAAAAABFDg/Xil95BtAgkg/s1600/IMG_3610-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ECwSwLG_B4k/VPdweUq1qOI/AAAAAAABFDg/Xil95BtAgkg/s1600/IMG_3610-2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living room</td></tr>
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When we arrived, we visited Union Station where we had dinner. We also explored the area around our place near 17th and Wazee. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GEAKUSRBejQ/VPdoOZB468I/AAAAAAABFC8/IJ5hNvWGjxU/s1600/_L4C3315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GEAKUSRBejQ/VPdoOZB468I/AAAAAAABFC8/IJ5hNvWGjxU/s1600/_L4C3315.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Union Station</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f090OAVERCU/VPdpcRR6DxI/AAAAAAABFC8/gNq6a6ZmrWk/s1600/_L4C3472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f090OAVERCU/VPdpcRR6DxI/AAAAAAABFC8/gNq6a6ZmrWk/s1600/_L4C3472.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan inside Union Station</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5b0rJrVdlv0/VPdwZJRLBGI/AAAAAAABFDQ/-sZAj1A8oxw/s1600/IMG_3543-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5b0rJrVdlv0/VPdwZJRLBGI/AAAAAAABFDQ/-sZAj1A8oxw/s1600/IMG_3543-2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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We visited the 16th Street area, the Denver Art Museum grounds, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, the Capitol building (including a tour and visit to the top of the rotunda), took in a play a the "Space Theatre" at DCPA, and had some very nice meals at several fun restaurants. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VMb34_MIf5U/VPdo2aI_8NI/AAAAAAABFC8/OF6qSkGhvcM/s1600/_L4C3417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VMb34_MIf5U/VPdo2aI_8NI/AAAAAAABFC8/OF6qSkGhvcM/s1600/_L4C3417.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Denver Capitol building</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-egxKpvVXxwg/VPdoyp6LKgI/AAAAAAABFC8/pzW-KGBLvjw/s1600/_L4C3411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-egxKpvVXxwg/VPdoyp6LKgI/AAAAAAABFC8/pzW-KGBLvjw/s1600/_L4C3411.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colorado house in session</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JuDiFqyiJ00/VPdovQFluMI/AAAAAAABFC8/3LKzsYbXjcQ/s1600/_L4C3397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JuDiFqyiJ00/VPdovQFluMI/AAAAAAABFC8/3LKzsYbXjcQ/s1600/_L4C3397.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking west from the top of the Capitol</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MRBKRs86H00/VPdos3w_mgI/AAAAAAABFC8/UsyZ-3jZ3i8/s1600/_L4C3391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MRBKRs86H00/VPdos3w_mgI/AAAAAAABFC8/UsyZ-3jZ3i8/s1600/_L4C3391.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down from the rotunda</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OxGK3inzJS8/VPdopwU9yNI/AAAAAAABFC8/KxLbuL8UMUY/s1600/_L4C3385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OxGK3inzJS8/VPdopwU9yNI/AAAAAAABFC8/KxLbuL8UMUY/s1600/_L4C3385.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the hearing rooms at the capitol</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1pzSMpBl8mk/VPdomv9slQI/AAAAAAABFC8/JcN8ATY9dtk/s1600/_L4C3382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1pzSMpBl8mk/VPdomv9slQI/AAAAAAABFC8/JcN8ATY9dtk/s1600/_L4C3382.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hNsw8wDqoAI/VPdoj57IjyI/AAAAAAABFC8/JXfXSp2kxV8/s1600/_L4C3366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hNsw8wDqoAI/VPdoj57IjyI/AAAAAAABFC8/JXfXSp2kxV8/s1600/_L4C3366.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9mi5t-56coo/VPdoVhRKjpI/AAAAAAABFC8/uj9xEXfJXdg/s1600/_L4C3342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9mi5t-56coo/VPdoVhRKjpI/AAAAAAABFC8/uj9xEXfJXdg/s1600/_L4C3342.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along 16th Street</td></tr>
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And we worked off our calories by walking at least 5-6 miles every day we were there. </div>
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We also visited the Byers-Evans House near the Art Museum and took in a nice pub meal at Pints Pub. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eqvTdbLag5o/VPdpGbyYI1I/AAAAAAABFC8/cK_OE8EsMtg/s1600/_L4C3454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eqvTdbLag5o/VPdpGbyYI1I/AAAAAAABFC8/cK_OE8EsMtg/s1600/_L4C3454.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front room at the historic Byers-Evans House</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-msDay3N1_t4/VPdpK7e-_9I/AAAAAAABFC8/QQNv6EoVO7M/s1600/_L4C3460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-msDay3N1_t4/VPdpK7e-_9I/AAAAAAABFC8/QQNv6EoVO7M/s1600/_L4C3460.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pints Pub. We had one each. :-)</td></tr>
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Our only non-walking adventure was when we decided to take a ride on Denver's Light Rail system, starting at Union Station and going all the way to the south end of the line, and then stopping off at the Park Meadows Mall for a little shopping. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RyEgzfynJqI/VPdpfHF4iGI/AAAAAAABFC8/k58YmVt_UWY/s1600/_L4C3479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RyEgzfynJqI/VPdpfHF4iGI/AAAAAAABFC8/k58YmVt_UWY/s1600/_L4C3479.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the Light Rail</td></tr>
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We also walked the trail along the Platte River to the Confluence Park and shopped at the huge REI there. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UheCmp2vzPw/VPdpPEcrRKI/AAAAAAABFC8/WGffOvWM2Gc/s1600/_L4C3461.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UheCmp2vzPw/VPdpPEcrRKI/AAAAAAABFC8/WGffOvWM2Gc/s1600/_L4C3461.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing wall in REI</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5P--80pbxJg/VPdpTlB4bwI/AAAAAAABFC8/2Iv8TTAZCXw/s1600/_L4C3462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5P--80pbxJg/VPdpTlB4bwI/AAAAAAABFC8/2Iv8TTAZCXw/s1600/_L4C3462.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoppers in REI</td></tr>
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<div>
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<div>
We really enjoyed the walking and exploring, and did some people-watching and photography. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-alsnYIs2z_k/VPdpZVcyR2I/AAAAAAABFC8/I39UawemEtU/s1600/_L4C3466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-alsnYIs2z_k/VPdpZVcyR2I/AAAAAAABFC8/I39UawemEtU/s1600/_L4C3466.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our walk to Little Man Ice Cream was well worth it!</td></tr>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here are more pictures from the weekend.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3xgMD6IECI8/VPdoSTiTyJI/AAAAAAABFC8/CyI1fZRuovk/s1600/_L4C3336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3xgMD6IECI8/VPdoSTiTyJI/AAAAAAABFC8/CyI1fZRuovk/s1600/_L4C3336.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VefTi0lyM9s/VPdoXlIfNRI/AAAAAAABFC8/9wBWA3KWnY4/s1600/_L4C3348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VefTi0lyM9s/VPdoXlIfNRI/AAAAAAABFC8/9wBWA3KWnY4/s1600/_L4C3348.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-va4NeC0OOuI/VPdoZ047l7I/AAAAAAABFC8/PYs-lsxSQtg/s1600/_L4C3349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-va4NeC0OOuI/VPdoZ047l7I/AAAAAAABFC8/PYs-lsxSQtg/s1600/_L4C3349.jpg" height="400" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M1RvRSqtNvw/VPdocOetAnI/AAAAAAABFC8/kWXbUzI_Mhw/s1600/_L4C3351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M1RvRSqtNvw/VPdocOetAnI/AAAAAAABFC8/kWXbUzI_Mhw/s1600/_L4C3351.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VFCgl27ExT0/VPdod7U_PYI/AAAAAAABFC8/aVUdw0LXAZE/s1600/_L4C3355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VFCgl27ExT0/VPdod7U_PYI/AAAAAAABFC8/aVUdw0LXAZE/s1600/_L4C3355.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Denver Center for the Performing Arts, looking west</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HGj4X1aQZQM/VPdogLcUE4I/AAAAAAABFC8/g7nLoqm4G8Y/s1600/_L4C3357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HGj4X1aQZQM/VPdogLcUE4I/AAAAAAABFC8/g7nLoqm4G8Y/s1600/_L4C3357.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k7kj1JSKf4I/VPdo48ahG7I/AAAAAAABFC8/rTQuNQuU0oE/s1600/_L4C3419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k7kj1JSKf4I/VPdo48ahG7I/AAAAAAABFC8/rTQuNQuU0oE/s1600/_L4C3419.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G2GyAU4RNRI/VPdo95o-auI/AAAAAAABFC8/i9Hjv1x5OqY/s1600/_L4C3442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G2GyAU4RNRI/VPdo95o-auI/AAAAAAABFC8/i9Hjv1x5OqY/s1600/_L4C3442.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Denver Art Museum</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OjWZhdDnkaM/VPdpArUHbII/AAAAAAABFC8/A5EGiDlh5nc/s1600/_L4C3448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OjWZhdDnkaM/VPdpArUHbII/AAAAAAABFC8/A5EGiDlh5nc/s1600/_L4C3448.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of the ultra-modern Denver Art Museum</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Z6kuD968_w/VPdpCoeUIzI/AAAAAAABFC8/65YwNkhL_mo/s1600/_L4C3449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Z6kuD968_w/VPdpCoeUIzI/AAAAAAABFC8/65YwNkhL_mo/s1600/_L4C3449.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-64Jh8S2TkjI/VPd1qlSKZ7I/AAAAAAABFDw/wfiDrE6f78A/s1600/_L4C3489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-64Jh8S2TkjI/VPd1qlSKZ7I/AAAAAAABFDw/wfiDrE6f78A/s1600/_L4C3489.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My name is Awsum :-)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pvDcvh3D8-I/VPdpiZT8hAI/AAAAAAABFC8/Ffv3jibeVhg/s1600/_L4C3485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pvDcvh3D8-I/VPdpiZT8hAI/AAAAAAABFC8/Ffv3jibeVhg/s1600/_L4C3485.jpg" height="400" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larimer Square</td></tr>
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<div>
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Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com017th Street & Wazee Street, Denver, CO 80202, USA39.7521591 -104.998813639.7521591 -104.9988136 39.7521591 -104.9988136tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-6621398599438149672015-02-08T10:37:00.000-07:002015-03-05T08:30:48.619-07:00Deer Mountain Winter Hike (Feb 8, 2015)Susan and I had been talking for awhile about going up to Deer Mountain in the winter, so when this Sunday morning began with clear skies, we decided to grab our gear and head for the trailhead.<br />
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We didn't expect a lot of snow on the trail, and figured what there was would be well-packed by other hikers.<br />
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As we began the hike at 10:30am, we found the first part of the trail was patchy with snow and ice, and soon we both had our MicroSpikes on.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e1Zazi4ibHo/VPdYPDMjwkI/AAAAAAABE-U/BuD7lkOUKNU/s1600/_L4C3299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e1Zazi4ibHo/VPdYPDMjwkI/AAAAAAABE-U/BuD7lkOUKNU/s1600/_L4C3299.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horseshoe Park with Chapin, Chiquita and Ypsilon summits</td></tr>
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The trail was pretty much what we expected until we got to the top of the all the switchbacks on the northwest side of the mountain. Then the "social" trail veered off the normal summer trail and for some reason took us more to the north. We decided to correct and had to bushwhack through the snow to head back to the normal summer trail leading to the summit.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tyLP0KKYVek/VPdbpwEWNSI/AAAAAAABE-8/A4C1EZly8Ik/s1600/_L4C3297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tyLP0KKYVek/VPdbpwEWNSI/AAAAAAABE-8/A4C1EZly8Ik/s1600/_L4C3297.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan on the trail</td></tr>
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The going got a lot harder, as there was 12-18" of snow on the unblazed trail, and we were not only post-holing a lot, but finding it hard to spot the actual unmarked trail.<br />
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As the snow got deeper we began to talk about whether we should just turn around. As we stopped to discuss, another couple about our age caught up with us by following our tracks, and they seemed to be confident of being able to reach the summit.<br />
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Susan decided that if they could do it, so could we, so we took a bearing on the summit and headed mostly towards it, tromping through the deep snow and weaving around trees and rocks.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zdpOswmX2dU/VPdYGPr4SVI/AAAAAAABE-E/Bv-0NJLV5Oo/s1600/IMG_3351-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zdpOswmX2dU/VPdYGPr4SVI/AAAAAAABE-E/Bv-0NJLV5Oo/s1600/IMG_3351-2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Us, apparently happy with our decision to go on to the summit :-)</td></tr>
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We leap-frogged with the other couple for maybe a quarter mile until they decided they'd had enough and they turned around to head down. We decided to keep going, as we were only about a thousand feet from the summit.<br />
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But with no trail, almost 2 feet of snow, steep terrain, and no snowshoes (or gaiters), we were post-holing on almost every step and were getting a lot of snow in our boots.<br />
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Finally, we reached the summit just before 2pm, and had it completely to ourselves!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sb-wKSPvM_w/VPdaH8OfrCI/AAAAAAABE-w/4iz0087yhjU/s1600/IMG_3354-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sb-wKSPvM_w/VPdaH8OfrCI/AAAAAAABE-w/4iz0087yhjU/s1600/IMG_3354-2.jpg" height="224" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pano from the summit</td></tr>
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We took off our boots and socks to try to dry them out a little, but the damage was done, and we'd be hiking down with wet feet. Not a big deal, as it was a very warm day, but a good lesson about always having gaiters -- and maybe snowshoes -- when we do a winter summit hike!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R5cZ78n30Qk/VPdYLQ40D3I/AAAAAAABE-M/hq-5OAHxsbg/s1600/IMG_3525-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R5cZ78n30Qk/VPdYLQ40D3I/AAAAAAABE-M/hq-5OAHxsbg/s1600/IMG_3525-2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike on the "trail"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The hike down was somewhat easier, as we could avoid post-holing a little by walking in our tracks, and we got back down to the trailhead about 4:15pm.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VlKezCL5sLk/VPdYWtoqBwI/AAAAAAABE-k/KhFNSNd4ONE/s1600/_L4C3301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VlKezCL5sLk/VPdYWtoqBwI/AAAAAAABE-k/KhFNSNd4ONE/s1600/_L4C3301.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan on the trail on the way down</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ehpw68x18gE/VPdYSXiHiWI/AAAAAAABE-c/ckrqrEMdjPg/s1600/_L4C3303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ehpw68x18gE/VPdYSXiHiWI/AAAAAAABE-c/ckrqrEMdjPg/s1600/_L4C3303.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along the trail</td></tr>
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Here's a hike map and elevation/speed profile.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bctLZVLelZQ/VPdWVr8hx7I/AAAAAAABE9o/HmFLAgqZCJc/s1600/Deer%2BMtn%2BMap.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bctLZVLelZQ/VPdWVr8hx7I/AAAAAAABE9o/HmFLAgqZCJc/s1600/Deer%2BMtn%2BMap.png" height="402" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zX3BJDYkZUc/VPdWSyzS0KI/AAAAAAABE9g/agRHASsJ--s/s1600/DeerMtn%2BProfile.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zX3BJDYkZUc/VPdWSyzS0KI/AAAAAAABE9g/agRHASsJ--s/s1600/DeerMtn%2BProfile.png" height="122" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The red line shows how much we slowed down as we approached the summit!</td></tr>
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All the snow and post-holing, especially near the summit took a lot out of us, but we were very happy we summitted. As you may know, Deer Mountain is very special to us, as we got married on the summit in 2005. We have a new goal of hiking Deer Mountain in every month of the year, and this wonderful February winter hike takes care of one of those months!<br />
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We've now done the hike in February, April, May, June, July, and <a href="http://justournature.blogspot.com/2011/08/deer-mountain-sunrise.html">August</a>. We'd better get busy on those other months! :-)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O7ZcRoMpxiw/VPdWYI0pc0I/AAAAAAABE9w/HWSco9fH540/s1600/DeerMountain-c2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O7ZcRoMpxiw/VPdWYI0pc0I/AAAAAAABE9w/HWSco9fH540/s1600/DeerMountain-c2.jpg" height="292" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning panorama from Deer Mountain summit (Aug 2011)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5719316925826400784.post-58607306247075897092015-01-27T09:15:00.000-07:002015-03-05T08:31:13.435-07:00Dream Lake Hike (Jan 27, 2015)We had our heads down "working" at home when we learned that Tim and Karen, recent transplants to Colorado, were heading up to Rocky the next day, and asked if we wanted to join them on a winter hike.<br />
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We happily accepted their invitation, and recommended they purchase MicroSpikes for traction on the ice and snow. We also suggested a hike from Bear Lake, to Nymph, Dream, and Emerald Lakes. This hike is fairly easy, and has a lot of bang for the buck!<br />
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Somewhere above Dream Lake we lost the main trail to Emerald, and though we were very close, we can't quite claim we made it all the way. But at least we got them up above 10,000 feet, a hiking first for Karen (though not for Tim, as <a href="http://justournature.blogspot.com/2014/10/hike-to-estes-cone-oct-23.html" target="_blank">he and I had hiked Estes Cone</a> recently).<br />
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Here are some photos from the hike.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o8Q6be-V0x8/VMlgMoSiMxI/AAAAAAABE0M/61IKsUGez1c/s1600/_L4C3241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o8Q6be-V0x8/VMlgMoSiMxI/AAAAAAABE0M/61IKsUGez1c/s1600/_L4C3241.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frozen over Nymph Lake with Hallett Peak in background</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trail above Nymph Lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim and Karen on their way up</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dream Lake, with Hallett and Flattop Mountains</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubbles in frozen Dream Lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karen, Susan and Tim on the trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6eIvIHzR8BchyphenhyphenRgYaLmv6843AS98_l42Ncajb4ogLJQiVYbi2Li4fOkGEOVptyBQ0BQJWZcjda4utNSzPA7BHlVKykXZQ6l-TnJvJujn6-sBTEhimzAPvPQrst_nO4F_eiUajz6u9I9j/s1600/_L4C3269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6eIvIHzR8BchyphenhyphenRgYaLmv6843AS98_l42Ncajb4ogLJQiVYbi2Li4fOkGEOVptyBQ0BQJWZcjda4utNSzPA7BHlVKykXZQ6l-TnJvJujn6-sBTEhimzAPvPQrst_nO4F_eiUajz6u9I9j/s1600/_L4C3269.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost made it to Emerald Lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim and Karen above Dream Lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FgfKkJY_l4E/VMlhZo6ttrI/AAAAAAABE2Y/UtTaZOfig1U/s1600/_L4C3282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FgfKkJY_l4E/VMlhZo6ttrI/AAAAAAABE2Y/UtTaZOfig1U/s1600/_L4C3282.jpg" height="400" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longs Peak and Glacier Gorge, viewed from the trail below Dream Lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karen on the way down</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down on Nymph Lake</td></tr>
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After the hike, we decided to stop by and show them Sprague Lake. We did a quick walk around the lake with them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ay1swgT2IgQ/VMl9YYQ6cAI/AAAAAAABE24/ca5MdIzViO8/s1600/_L4C3287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ay1swgT2IgQ/VMl9YYQ6cAI/AAAAAAABE24/ca5MdIzViO8/s1600/_L4C3287.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking toward the divide across frozen Sprague Lake</td></tr>
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<br />Mike Molloyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612540799816879114noreply@blogger.com0Bear Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado 80517, USA40.3133957 -105.6482174999999940.3103687 -105.65325999999999 40.316422700000004 -105.64317499999999