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
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
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
Moab was a mob scene. Overrun with rental RVs and foreign dialects who appear to struggle with our frustrating systems even more than I do, like the annoying recorded voice at the self-checkout line announcing “Unexpected item in the bagging area.” Everywhere I went, there were crowds of tourists attempting to cross off two out of five of Utah’s “Big Five National Parks” in one town. I had to wait in line for everything from grocery shopping to pedestrian stopping. Yet I couldn’t leave. I was a held captive by a rig full of exploding gear. Continue reading
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
“I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day–blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.” ~Wendell Berry
“For myself I choose to listen to the river for a while, thinking river thoughts, before joining the night and the stars.” ~ Edward Abbey
“Where the eagle glides descending, there’s an ancient river bending..” ~ Neil Young, “Thrasher”
Well, that completes my whirlwind loop through southwestern Colorado. The blog is now caught up and I am in the rare state of “real time” as I sit high atop the Colorado National Monument overlooking Grand Junction. Tomorrow, I will wave goodbye to the “Colorful Colorado” highway sign as I cross over into Utah. Continue reading
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