Diesel Wedgies, Miles, Goosenecks and More Blankets

Ran up through Payson and across past Camp Verde. My goal was the little BLM site just east of Cottonwood... Plan was to wait up there for a couple of days anyway... to let finances hopefully catch up...

*The east end of the Cottonwood BLM area*

Well... There turned out to be 'bout three times as many rigs packed in there as I've ever seen... I suppose I could have boldly wedged my $25 buster's rig in between some of the other travelers... Seemed like half were 1/4 million $$$ rigs... Not sure how popular the peelin' duct tape holding my fenders together would be in that crowd ;)

Buuuuut... what can I say? after a week of wedged into PIR... and then a week of a full camp at Roosevelt... Wedging in amongst a crowd just seemed to be braiding a knot in my fruit of the looms... So I only spent one night in the turnaround up by the highway...

Come the morning I kept the nose pointed north and wended my slow movin' way past Flagstaff and on to Goosenecks, near Mexican Hat, in southern Utah. Traveling slow to squeeze as many miles out of a tank as possible...

*Looking southwest Out the Door in Goosenecks*

*Southeast view back toward Monument Valley*

There's a flavor here of the troubles you find when pushing spring. Took an extra two blankets on the bunk last night...

*Goosenecks of the San Juan Sunrise*

I'll hang up in this free camp above the San Juan River till that whisper tells me go. There's enough left... I think... To make Moab...

If I tarry long enough here and there and along the way between... either Nascar or Google is likely to provide the lubrication to continue the migration back to the Colorado Plains... as well as hopefully avoiding the pitfalls of challenging the weatherman.

They don't never have spring blizzards in the Utah desert do they? ;) I heard the county commissioners promised to outlaw such doin's.

The Circle Runs thru Moab... maybe...
Brian

Grab the Beer and Chips... It's Zion Movie Time!

Workin' around movin' camp a few hundred miles I've been hard at it... trying to arrange the photographs from the hike we and the Box Canyon Bloggers took into the Zion Narrows a couple of days ago.

That's made a lil bit more difficult by two things... Which pics do you NOT present??? and then... once you decide that you jus' gotta hang 'em all up there... How do you get it done with a recalcitrant lil' Acer Laptop... that REALLY don't want to co-operate a lot? ;)

... and I won't even get into the "Short Pants" VS "Sissy Pants"... deal...

Yeah... right... SURE I won't! ;)

I wear a helmet on the scooter... I use bug spray and long sleeves when the skeeters are thick... and when I'm gonna be wadin' in water of the 51 degree variety... I wear Dry Pants...

I've chased cows at 20 below... loaded and fed 15 tons of 175# bales by my lonesome, day after day in the 105 degree Arizona sun... I've pushed my scooter through the wind at 70mph when the mercury said 10...

I use what gear is available to preserve my energies for when bein' a Tough Nut... is Necessary... till then I run like a rabbit to avoid discomfort! and let the Harley Riders slide around on the asphalt in flip flops and T-shirts... ;)

...and that generally has left me The Last Man Standing... for a good long while! :)  and any way... the ONLY shorts I wear are jockeys... and ain't none of ya gonna see them!

As for the cost... I believe Ol' Mark mis-heard what the Zion Adventure Clerk was sayin'... and added his pennies wrong... the wet suit socks, shoes and Including the Dry Pants cost me $40 precious dollars total. and I'll bet you both my Kidneys and half my liver that if I'd been thinkin'... and told the big guy to pull off one of those socks... he'd have discovered juuuuuust how effective they are at keepin' the heat in Old containers!

If your legs are cold ~ your legs are cold... If your FEET are cold... ALL of you is COLD! and this Ol' Dodger... with his feet nice and comfy in those wet suit socks... and his legs all nice and dry... held hypothermia at bay all day long...

So... though my busted spine had me gimpin' pretty good by the time I waddled back to the truck in the Temple of Sinawava parking lot after pushin' something upwards of 9 miles through that canyon!... I was in good shape cold water wise!

That first mile... way back 'fore noon... the three of 'em led me on a near foot race to the "get wet" point above Sinawava.

I mosey'd along takin' my pictures...

and gettin' geared up...

and Mark dove in to be the first one wet!

He does have a lil' bit of an advantage... seein' as how he's set down on top of legs that have him lookin' down on the top of my head!

The way I chose to deal with what I thought was an overload of photographs was this;

 The Rest of the Story is compiled into two lil videos. I decided to do it a lil different for this day's story.

The first one is a short lil' clip... just a couple minutes of a bit of luck we had half way or so up into the Narrows. Mark saw it first... and then as I was scramblin' to catch it on a camera... I nearly tested my limited swimming ability backing into a deep hole in the river bottom...

Which would have been a genuine bummer. I "Risked" that new Nikon P510 on this hike... cuz what good is a tool... if you keep it all wrapped up and secure in a dry bag? Who's gonna stop every  27  seconds to take their pack off... in the middle of a river... unload and un bag the camera... take a pic... and then stuff it all back in?

Anyhoo... here's that first lil' clip...

Now... that one should have a tune playing ... kinda cool ain't it?

This next is the Video Journal of the five+ hour hike up the canyon... pretty much in chronological order... and this one... youtube got grinchy and I couldn't get music attached to shine it up...

It's about 7 minutes of ~ I Think~ pretty good scenery many folks won't see any other way... But me an' Mark were there! ;) along wth them two ladies of course. ;)

Now... in this show, the first section was taken with my new Nikon P510 and those Heidi made was done with the pretty much broken (battery box/scratched lens/failing electronics) Nikon S8000 she still carries until we can replace it...

 *Edit*; The difficulty T'wasn't Youtube... Turns out... THIS Ol' buster took a bit to catch on to the NEW and IMPROVED audio system ;) the video is NOW linked to the New Version that has a sound track (appropriate I think!) attached. Also, don't forget to click on the "Full Screen" brackets in the lower right of the video... makes for a lot better viewing! :)

Well... that's the show... and the video journal of a Remembered Day!

Now... it's back to the rest of my To Do list for me
Brian

A Walk Through The Zion Narrows...

... will teach you how an ant feels on a sidewalk in Wall Street... if it was thigh deep in water!

This is gonna be one of those Rare Short posts. Yesterday's journey Celebrating The Box Canyon Blogger's Birthday beat this ol' crip to mush! ;) At least I Thought that's what we were sorta doin'. I wasn't Really aware they was all snickerin' and conspirin' to see how the old Cowboy Biker was gonna hold up in a Foreign en-Vi-ron-Ment! :)

Like I've said on more than one oh-K-shun... I don't swim... at least what I do can't be called that... so... wanderin' up trails where the only way is IN the River... and the River is littered with slickery round rolling rocks... and the water is trying to push you to New Orleans... is an event of sorts.

I'll only post a couple of pics this morning to whet your whistle maybe... until I have time to sort through the 365 :) photos I made in the Largest Slot Canyon in the World.

First thing I did was use my 7P's and get properly geared up. Being wet for hours is bad enough... bein' wet and COLD is not something that toots my whistle or any other part of my Oh-Nat-uh-mee.

Them others claim toughness... yeah... well judging by their red knees and crossed eyes and the occasional comment...

... I dun it right! :)

We traveled 8 or 9 miles up and back. Clear up to the end of what they call Wall Street in the Zion Narrows...

Along the way, like I said I made juuuuuuuuuust a few photos... I'll be posting probably a day or two of the Narrows. ;)

*The Zion Narrows*

We've got to move today; Used up our 14 days of convenient campground... and I'm behind gettin' loaded up and road ready... something about being STOVE UP! :)  But... as soon as I get moved... Dry out... and get where I can move something like a healed up cripple would... I'll start to sharin' the trip in more detail.

I got SO MANY good pictures of this journey... and one magical awesome Video!!!

*Somewhere in the Zion Narrows*

Till then... let's just say... The Zion Narrows are... a Stone Cathedral... and a River Runs Through It. Pure and simply, a Gorgeous, Stunning place. It is one of those places where a photographer struggles to capture the scale and the Depth of the Spirit that lives here.

He sees his photographs... but keeps going back to make just one more try to Get It Right... and every time he does... the light has changed... the Canyon has changed... and he learns some more.

I'll be back with the story
Brian

In Utah is a Hidden Canyon

We've been to Zion quite a bunch of times now... and there's still plenty of hikes we've not taken and plenty we've not done the whole route! ;)

Heidi ain't truly fond of high narrow places... and a touch of vertigo makes things interesting for me! People look at you funny when you're hanging on the chains wobblin' and weaving. :) I've learned to mostly wobbly and weave the right directions at the right times. Ha Ha!

... and like that guy on the North Rim said; "Life is better on the edge."

I've heard the Indians say that Ravens are a bad omen? ... I wonder what a Woodpecker is when you're just leaving the rig for a Canyon Hike?

That Ol' cottonwood must have been fairly buggy. Lil' Woody was workin' it over for at least a half hour 'fore we left.

I gotta say, I don't have a high fondness for Woodpeckers.

Back on the ranch in Cherokee Park one of my battles was maintaining a set of cabins that was under constant assault by a team of flickers... Some looked like they'd been chewed on by a chain saw.:(

and it bein' a Federal Offense to use extreme prejudice on the wood choppin' buggers makes defense a difficult proposition. But, I did however finally succeed and routed the noisy peckers! ;)

We got on board to head up canyon. The tram let us off at the Weeping Rock stop and up we started up the mountain...

The Canyon is starting to change color this week... All up the trail you walk past bare slick rock and then through leafy retreats hanging on the cliff face...

 We stopped in one spot for a bit; having a conversation with a young couple that were climbing up to observation point...

... while Heidi caught her breath :)

I'm not one for crowds, not even a little... but... the people you meet on high trails are generally the best sort... too bad we can't figure a way to get them to "run the show"!

They have a truer and more balanced view of what's proper and balanced. Maybe that's what we need! Like for the army... a "Political Draft" ... Draft Hikers and Wanderers for two years service... "This won't fit in a rig... can't afford that... Can it!" Ha ha...

The first part of the trail is easy enough if steep. But from my perspective, it's wide and secure... Heidi might have a differing opinion though... gauging from the bruises on my hands. ;)

When you're in the mountains it's a good idea to look back on occasion... It helps the country look familiar so you don't get lost on the way back... but you also get a different view of the same scene. Two for one!

 

This was another of those difficult days... We had miles and altitude to conquer... but I couldn't make much progress. Take a picture; turn the camera off; take two steps; "Look at that!"... turn the camera back on - take the picture; Rinse, Repeat.

:) It's hard to get anywhere sometimes.

There are difficult times, obstacles and windy trails brewing up ahead. They weigh on my mind. It's places like this that keep me moving. High mountain trails... Canyon paths... desert breezes keep me focused on what's the proper priority.

What comes... comes. There's not a thing I can do to stop it. I'll deal the best I can when the train pulls into the station. Till then I'll live... and THIS livin' is what gives me the strength to endure the times that aren't Shining Times.

Having pictures of Glorious times and places engraved on your brain and in your heart are the Rocks you can hold on to when the winds are roaring and the streams are raging in your world.

Ask guys that have been in hell on earth situations for a time; What they did, how the handled it to keep on moving... many, most even will tell you they had a place in their minds they could go off to... The joys and peace of Home in their hearts... a picture they could hold up behind their eyes... That was the lifeboat that carried them through.

This... is my Home... My lifeboat.

We'd climbed as far as Heidi was willing to go and stopped to have a late lunch... While we ate, up behind us, soaring over Observation Point were a pair of what we believe are those rare Condors...

Just a black speck in the sky... This awesome Nikon P510 was able to zoom in and capture a decent shot... From just a tiny black line up over the mountain to being able to actually see the bird; pretty amazing, hand held and all.

*California Condor Soaring Over Zion*

*California Condor*

If you had a hankerin' for such a travel camera they can be had pretty easy... Nikon Coolpix P510 16.1MP Digital Camera with 42x Optical Zoom - (Google Affiliate Ad) Just tell 'em Brian sent you! :)

Well, Heidi told me that was as far as she was goin'... but it was cool sitting in the shade of the canyon so I "shouldn't take too long scouting what was up ahead on the narrowing trail."

Like on the trail to Angel's Landing... where the way gets narrowest... chains have been hung on the sandstone walls for the faint of heart to clutch on to.

Just don't wander too far off the trail ... Ok? :) The trip is a lil' quick and the landing is pretty rough!

This is where I turned back... The "trail" continues on up that narrow slot between the walls, scrambling over boulders and deadfall... Sometime I'll have to come back and finish the trail.

But for today the Mountain Fix was sufficient for my needs... so I began the return...

*Beauty that makes your heart ache... In Zion*

*The way can be narrow in Zion*

*A Zion Wall Hanging*

Your heart lifts... your spirits rise, you can't stop it. These mountains have been here forever, and will be here long after we've gone. They've weathered unimaginable storms... our little difficulties pale... It's a place to restore and fill your soul...

... and tell the lil' old lady; "I'll stand over here so you can pass...

... if you promise not to push me off!"

She promised...but that lil' giggle she made at the end kinda gave me pause. :)

I guess she kept her promise... seeing as how I didn't do any high country ricocheting.

*Hidden Canyon Trail in Zion*

*Zion Nat. Park Autumn*

*Big Bend in Zion*

*Canyon Maple in Zion*

*Another view of Big Bend in Zion*

Heidi and Betty took a stroll up the Narrows last week... Heidi wants a return show... and she's talked me into it... Mark and Bobbie are nearing our camp this morning...

Tomorrow, the way things stand... a claustrophobic, acrophobic, puss gut army crip that swims like a leaky bowling ball, and walks kinda gimpy... is supposed to go on a hike... wading up a river through a pretty near slot canyon... in October...

Oh Lordy... maybe I did take a fall to many?

Come back and see if I survived...
Brian

To a Bridge Over the River Virgin

We got up yesterday to a low of 15 degrees, after running a bottle of propane dry during the night. Yes sir... it was time to retreat to a softer camp.

*How does a HOT Bike, get that cold?*

Uh Huh... time to run south 'fore my scooter gets frozen so solid she fossilizes!

The Box Canyon artists are wandering their way toward Zion, so we just retreated to there ahead of  'em hopin' to link up before we pull farther south ahead of 'em.

One of the definitions of Zion is; "an imaginary place considered to be perfect or ideal" ... So Zion is imaginary... and Yamaha is Real... curious. ;)

Only, the Zion we know sure ain't imaginary. The feeling we get here is for sure and for certain. It brings us back again and again. Just 80 miles or so south of that frigid camp in Red Canyon... and we're back on sunny slopes...

*The Grotto in Zion*

... and warm leafy sanctuaries...

Wanting to chase the chill of last night away we went up to the emerald pools for an afternoon walk...

It's been a fairly dry summer I guess. The falls into the basin are much reduced from the storms that came through in the spring when we hurried to get here from Ash Creek in Arizona.

It's a routine we seem to be falling into... wandering along some familiar trails... seeing the land in different seasons... and over the years. You can't learn a place in a single day... or a single year... you have to keep coming back to see all it has to give.

The fall up higher is well advanced. The cold there has been strong enough to bring out the sharp color in the maples and the oak brush... here in the sheltered canyon, I don't think the color will be as vibrant this year.

It's staying too warm and turning cold too slowly... and this Ol' drifter ain't complaining! I can do cold, I've proven it over the years... But being Able to... and Wanting to are two VERY different things! :) Yes Sir... and Ma'am... I have become a lover of the Sun as I gain in years.

I park the rig in the sun... I point my radiator in the direction of where it's gone... when it fades away from the camp I'm in...

Chasing the sun on a ribbon of highway... Kind of has a nice ring to it.

Coming down away from the pools the trail runs along below the canyon walls leading you back toward the Virgin River.

You walk along, passing through a few thickets of canyon maple, juniper and canyon scrub that shelters a quiet and peaceful place...

Your feet move slower... not wanting just yet to continue south. trying to hang on to what is...

You try to resist the change, wishing the good things could last longer... working hard to engrave the visions, and scents and sounds of the canyon on your brain... like a photograph...

But... Like it or not... you've no choice... continue you must... and down the canyon through the trees toward camp you go...

All the way to the river... to another bridge you must cross...

*A bridge over the Virgin river that leads to...*

... always moving toward Zion... that imaginary place of perfection and sunny slopes...

Life on the Road... in Search of Zion
Brian

When the Weatherman Says Go... Sometimes You Should GO!

Yesterday, we took a hike up around the end of the ridge we're camped up against and up the drainage on the other side.

*Our Red Canyon Camp*

I collected this pic as we climbed up over the ridge coming home... much to Heidi's discontent ;) and just before this sunset...

*Kind of an appropriate Sunset for Red Canyon, don't you think?*

We've been watchin' the weatherman's reports for a couple of days. He kept sayin' it was gonna get less than prime 'round here. Buuuuut I've been waitin' on one of my lil' checks to get put in my bank... so I could hop on the bike and run over to Escalante... where they've got one of a certain brand of "other" bank so I could just pass it on. :)

So... this morning that deposit was confirmed so I rolled the Raider off the truck and hopped on to ride east into the sunshine...

Riiiiight up until the point I turned around and headed back... and rode through the misty rain and spittin' snow... buuuuut I broke back out into the sun again, so all was well... outside of it still bein' durn cold at 65 mph!

Well, we'd been talkin' of pullin' out a day earlier than we'd planned. Heidi's weatherman been sayin' a low of 13* Thursday night!!! and mine was sayin' only 28* ... still gettin' chilly for my southern lovin' bones.

Thought we'd take a walk when I got back from the bank run... and consider our options... so we walked south around the end of the ridge again... herself refusin' to make a rerun over the top ! :)

*The next drainage east from our Red Canyon Camp*

It's a pretty valley over there. The bottom is filled with that Giant sage that stands 6 foot tall and better. Down through the middle is a deep cut dry river bed that shows signs of bein' pretty nasty in rainy weather! 8 foot deep sheer walls and not so many places to climb out if you got caught down in there in a gully washer!

*I wouldn't be the first lone waddy to get buried in a dry river bed!*

Not to mention plenty of evidence of how silly it'd to go strollin' along the top ~ too close to the lip! WHOOOEEEE! a carnival ride. You just have to hope you land on the top!

We went pretty near as far as yesterday... after all the sun was shining again... right?

*A Sagebrush valley in Utah*

And like i said, it's a pretty valley so a walk through the sage is kinda nice...

Really?

Just a few more steps and it was beginning to look like we've hung around this camp toooooo long!

'course... as soon as we crossed back over the riverbed and made the turn coming around the end of the ridge nearing home... It was back to blue sky. If you don't like the weather in the west, give it twenty minutes, it's likely to change.

But it purty much made the decision for us... Camped up here at nigh 8000 feet the nights are gettin' cold! Back down there in Zion, near 4000 feet lower, bald headed old busters can sleep without the furnace turned on! ;)

So,come the dawn, we'll roll back south again for our last visit in Zion while we wait to see if the Box Canyon crew makes it south 'fore we have to run for our NASCAR commitment.

Headin' South Again ~ Before the Winter Snows Arrive in Force
Brian