Category Archives: National Parks

Making Hay While the Sun Shines

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Now back in the shadow of Zion National Park, I have to say, it feels good to be back.    As I have moved at a fast clip through Southern Colorado, down the Green River, and across the southern state of Utah since July, this stop has been a bit of a “carrot” at the end of the stick.  I have looked forward to just “parking it” for awhile.  No more route planning, campground research, navigating unfamiliar territory, hitching and unhitching.   Just a couple of weeks to relax, visit with friends, and make my favorite time of the year, the autumn season, stretch as long as possible. Continue reading →

What’s in Your Bucket?

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What’s in my bucket these days is rain.  Lots and lots of rain.  No, make that flash floods.  I feel as if I have hopscotched the State of Utah for an entire month, chasing favorable weather.  From the scorching heat of the Green River and Moab, to the flash flood warnings in Cedar Mesa, Utah has not been easy this year. Continue reading →

The Eye of The Needles

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It has finally come time to leave Canyon Rim boondock. The wagon train is hitching up and heading south to hide out in a pine forest until the storm blows over. In this case, the “storm” being the storm of school students that descend upon Utah like locusts for a four day weekend every October. It’s UEA Weekend coming up, the Utah Education and Administration conference held on Thursday and Friday, giving the kids a four day weekend from school. We learned this the hard way last year, as we found ourselves trapped in Little Wild Horse slot canyon with about 200 “little wild horses” of the two legged variety. So plans are firmly in place to avoid a repeat this year.

But I am having a tough time leaving the canyon, especially Continue reading →

A “Needlework Sampler” for My Birthday

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In recognition of my birthday last week, I got to pick the hike….a lot of pressure, as this is a no-win proposition with this tough crowd!  Over 80 degrees, and the Coloradans will start to melt.  Under 70, and I lose the Floridians.  Under three miles?  Not worth getting dressed for in my opinion.  Over seven, and I eliminate participants due to pets at home. Continue reading →

Reflections on Green River

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I struggle to put into words objectively my impressions from nine days on the river, which is why I thought it best to let the photos “speak for themselves” in the form of photo album posts.  After nine days away from civilization, it may take me some time for my hindsight focus to adapt from what became a bit of “perceptual narrowing.”  Continue reading →

Curecanti and the Black Canyon; The Rim, The River, and The Ride

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The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is only a small part of the 48 mile long gorge, carved over 2-billion years by the mighty Gunnison River, a tributary of the Colorado River.   The National Park protects the steepest and deepest 14-mile stretch of the gorge.    The park is bracketed on both ends by recreational areas; Gunnison Gorge to the west, and the larger Curecanti National Recreation Area the east.  Curecanti is formed by a series of three dams; Blue Mesa Dam, Morrow Point Dam, and Crystal Dam, each creating reservoirs of the same name.  The largest of these is Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado’s largest body of water. Continue reading →

The Long and Winding Road to Wetherill

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Mesa Verde National Park, continued….

Back on a cold winter day in 1888, the Wetherill brothers were out in a snow storm looking for lost cattle when they spotted through the snowflakes something they described as “An enchanted castle.”  They had stumbled upon what is now known as the Cliff Palace.  Therefore, like Columbus who sailed the ocean blue in 1492 to “discover” America, the Wetherill Brothers were credited with being the first to “discover” the Cliff Palace.   Nevermind about the people who lived there for 100 years, or all the subsequent Puebloans, Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, etc. that followed.  The mesa is named for the Wetherills.  (You can’t please everyone, so you’ve got to please yourself!) Continue reading →