tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79949341749367298192023-11-15T23:53:39.873-08:00Sharon in UtahSharon Hawley visits the back-country of Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-20827164610632703242011-06-30T15:09:00.000-07:002011-06-30T15:15:39.972-07:00Cloudburst<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0tO5gVIgvsNBPmOAbwH2MxmZTgFkSjBDBzs7z7TklZXCuQLig5hWem1tD4Nd2KPyhRreYoyNjRrj7yh9xQ_4xQubW3Hsh9LbTe5fhK0exLnwF4GjcSD_TZ6fJEKYespISNsfq3cQsVAA/s1600/Jun+30+2011+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0tO5gVIgvsNBPmOAbwH2MxmZTgFkSjBDBzs7z7TklZXCuQLig5hWem1tD4Nd2KPyhRreYoyNjRrj7yh9xQ_4xQubW3Hsh9LbTe5fhK0exLnwF4GjcSD_TZ6fJEKYespISNsfq3cQsVAA/s320/Jun+30+2011+007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQ-r__4aYhQbyfepHFTXIsPTRlKGk-MVF2sJTwwmnF66QDVwUAzv_j7WQprhrsKXVC9sAezqSNWz5E3_bkr9H6X1X5XIbX2mIRtc38f31rdxuTE3Hyecj1kK_7u71mFDIwXqVLuPFIy0/s1600/Jun+30+2011+004.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQ-r__4aYhQbyfepHFTXIsPTRlKGk-MVF2sJTwwmnF66QDVwUAzv_j7WQprhrsKXVC9sAezqSNWz5E3_bkr9H6X1X5XIbX2mIRtc38f31rdxuTE3Hyecj1kK_7u71mFDIwXqVLuPFIy0/s320/Jun+30+2011+004.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular">I rode out along the Colorado River before sunup under a dark and rumbling sky. Kane Creek Road winds peacefully along the slow-moving river, and I figured I’d see more on the way back. I locked the bike to a post where the sign reads, “The Moab Rim Route follows a sandstone ledge to the rim above Moab, gaining 1,000 feet in about a mile. Rated 4+ by the Red Rock Four-Wheelers Jeep Club. Standard jeeps cannot make it.” I figured I could go where standard jeeps can’t. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfEfEMzb2YvzmyujZ6hsIrKBobKTKcKPJyfBhI1wzHNAyX6tHGv-Z8PfDHeotlqh3fAN0u6nxXE9-dXWRqrdr28oRO6WwH_n7fkC1k47GtxVQa3-n5P9yYaYPb6p-gBc8e37NZfk60o8/s1600/Jun+30+2011+040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-4WsYX9jO_kuQPnNkBISYu-zhvvMui5BPUzRMBsZZ0zXxCEWlFU0srSYX0Eo0pgAOFn1EqnstJjOlRj4aRT5HHuXclS3gl0eMM_xs8pulPGnX5aEdPwSqYEX8xrMIeCaG1qOwxPob0Q/s1600/Jun+30+2011+051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-4WsYX9jO_kuQPnNkBISYu-zhvvMui5BPUzRMBsZZ0zXxCEWlFU0srSYX0Eo0pgAOFn1EqnstJjOlRj4aRT5HHuXclS3gl0eMM_xs8pulPGnX5aEdPwSqYEX8xrMIeCaG1qOwxPob0Q/s320/Jun+30+2011+051.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfEfEMzb2YvzmyujZ6hsIrKBobKTKcKPJyfBhI1wzHNAyX6tHGv-Z8PfDHeotlqh3fAN0u6nxXE9-dXWRqrdr28oRO6WwH_n7fkC1k47GtxVQa3-n5P9yYaYPb6p-gBc8e37NZfk60o8/s1600/Jun+30+2011+040.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfEfEMzb2YvzmyujZ6hsIrKBobKTKcKPJyfBhI1wzHNAyX6tHGv-Z8PfDHeotlqh3fAN0u6nxXE9-dXWRqrdr28oRO6WwH_n7fkC1k47GtxVQa3-n5P9yYaYPb6p-gBc8e37NZfk60o8/s320/Jun+30+2011+040.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular">Clouds moved fast overhead as I climbed the sandstone bench that angles steeply up from the river. White marks painted on the rock guide jeep drivers, which I was happy not to be. I have never seen a road so steep and don’t see how any jeep, no matter how modified, could make it. See how the rocks have been scratched and chipped by jeep parts as they climbed upward in the right picture. Just follow the white marks, folks, and obey all traffic laws.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilmUxFroOG4A1ecURJBR2V3R0Pyur4khLDORR1clQDq87U26oBfVcoj7OXczldys6DtLSRQcv51QdAQpRQxD56d6EbjEkH2umM7ZeIXGW5HpYaQOk6zwmj3W7CZnmtPoeCEt0DXnDcDX4/s1600/Jun+30+2011+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-3K8phmxt_H1JYag0FujuIUv22pXi6jHyFGJwkrQBEEqsVEsnczEWTEO8mfrzGgEoOcm38XB3nTGzLx6G0Mojs1J1nOmvVX6TmbSe2LYZYbklHcyLmgc2RY_UMWpmveMQAzvMAwqom0/s1600/Jun+30+2011+018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-3K8phmxt_H1JYag0FujuIUv22pXi6jHyFGJwkrQBEEqsVEsnczEWTEO8mfrzGgEoOcm38XB3nTGzLx6G0Mojs1J1nOmvVX6TmbSe2LYZYbklHcyLmgc2RY_UMWpmveMQAzvMAwqom0/s320/Jun+30+2011+018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilmUxFroOG4A1ecURJBR2V3R0Pyur4khLDORR1clQDq87U26oBfVcoj7OXczldys6DtLSRQcv51QdAQpRQxD56d6EbjEkH2umM7ZeIXGW5HpYaQOk6zwmj3W7CZnmtPoeCEt0DXnDcDX4/s1600/Jun+30+2011+014.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilmUxFroOG4A1ecURJBR2V3R0Pyur4khLDORR1clQDq87U26oBfVcoj7OXczldys6DtLSRQcv51QdAQpRQxD56d6EbjEkH2umM7ZeIXGW5HpYaQOk6zwmj3W7CZnmtPoeCEt0DXnDcDX4/s320/Jun+30+2011+014.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfEfEMzb2YvzmyujZ6hsIrKBobKTKcKPJyfBhI1wzHNAyX6tHGv-Z8PfDHeotlqh3fAN0u6nxXE9-dXWRqrdr28oRO6WwH_n7fkC1k47GtxVQa3-n5P9yYaYPb6p-gBc8e37NZfk60o8/s1600/Jun+30+2011+040.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div><div class="Regular">Soon the cloud that had been muttering from beyond the ridge came into full black view and fired a warning shot. I looked for cover and found it under a rock overhang with about three feet of head clearance where I could cower some four feet into the wall. There I stayed dry while rain began, not slowly, but in a deafening blast of huge drops and hail. I snapped these pictures of the splashing drops from inside my lair.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5O4dRsUrPnE4wdv12Pz5ukPjzvsOe2g5zE8vXxx-yxWYFG2obeFV9-KJZiAaZG_RGy4skrNJiJPQryEUz-gFtOsHB4HZAnke4DxP-tDINr8ZDxnHKKoLVBFIkO2vLZzkW82UOhTQ1fy8/s1600/Jun+30+2011+024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECJlCUFQ31zcsao8mSguiNhsubVVLGr59NubNKCBVPE-76HlbAraZhN9pQ_kz7SQKldtwBFvjCh2jZV-DCVRzDjcaZzeyMNAXAovHdLX3sAqtQXJyUnLlT6Ippy_qJh7PZLwUHmm2B8g/s1600/Jun+30+2011+030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECJlCUFQ31zcsao8mSguiNhsubVVLGr59NubNKCBVPE-76HlbAraZhN9pQ_kz7SQKldtwBFvjCh2jZV-DCVRzDjcaZzeyMNAXAovHdLX3sAqtQXJyUnLlT6Ippy_qJh7PZLwUHmm2B8g/s320/Jun+30+2011+030.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5O4dRsUrPnE4wdv12Pz5ukPjzvsOe2g5zE8vXxx-yxWYFG2obeFV9-KJZiAaZG_RGy4skrNJiJPQryEUz-gFtOsHB4HZAnke4DxP-tDINr8ZDxnHKKoLVBFIkO2vLZzkW82UOhTQ1fy8/s1600/Jun+30+2011+024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5O4dRsUrPnE4wdv12Pz5ukPjzvsOe2g5zE8vXxx-yxWYFG2obeFV9-KJZiAaZG_RGy4skrNJiJPQryEUz-gFtOsHB4HZAnke4DxP-tDINr8ZDxnHKKoLVBFIkO2vLZzkW82UOhTQ1fy8/s320/Jun+30+2011+024.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular">It was over in fifteen minutes, and I went out into a new world, where dry had been transformed into wet. I heard a roar as of a nearby waterfall. I looked up at what had been a dry sandstone cliff, now plashing with a streaming waterfall pouring over its top. And beside me, where dry rock had been, a creek flowed. The sound of it was not loud like the storm, but peaceful as a mountain meadow.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8ZsbbeVL4urGvmanD82L64jpo4lT34DR0VQVXJtXNdbHQLdVXRO2uXoighLXYPQW6mkBkvqqc10YNMmlI3JX21M-bq2_UMiFiS5revWYIhQvdEZiMy5rDKkhaWU4aybpa6RdI2d8qKk/s1600/Jun+30+2011+044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lwlQJP0JAZg7UD1hriBad7z5TpTXPgSvoW3W2oDtO0OtrEw0p9BDxjrgGU9vHf1aPn29_OP9opl_fPXqXkqGLiOM5z1laxQdavnuq2xlGG78RuIpSaddAQxEST74rbS9uHN_PbfWA_E/s1600/Jun+30+2011+052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8ZsbbeVL4urGvmanD82L64jpo4lT34DR0VQVXJtXNdbHQLdVXRO2uXoighLXYPQW6mkBkvqqc10YNMmlI3JX21M-bq2_UMiFiS5revWYIhQvdEZiMy5rDKkhaWU4aybpa6RdI2d8qKk/s1600/Jun+30+2011+044.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8ZsbbeVL4urGvmanD82L64jpo4lT34DR0VQVXJtXNdbHQLdVXRO2uXoighLXYPQW6mkBkvqqc10YNMmlI3JX21M-bq2_UMiFiS5revWYIhQvdEZiMy5rDKkhaWU4aybpa6RdI2d8qKk/s320/Jun+30+2011+044.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular">I watched the waterfall and the creek for some time, perhaps fifteen minutes, until they stopped flowing. Here is the place where the waterfall was.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg52dgNDZeewfsgbOUG_eOuxAh4E2YzRr65Xq1IpdV7iEMeg4i4MJrbVnnqhs_6ywvEbKOZmAljJEsXQdIPGspotpDkbiOrNW2_ep9I0tv3yFXctCdx8gcBR080vwxFe0nmtUWJ8ZbwHA/s1600/Jun+30+2011+034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoHbR4mgQhjNbh7JSlqUQUdf7wcHhWklgOWPwSZtZpkA8cfcNhWJ0hepw5q9YqMF9XNnamhpwzlILORZFbRpvP9_JEVwf37epn1aTCfABRJG60YjptZM5SCGKdxzYwtahIUTf4e45s5wI/s1600/Jun+30+2011+039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoHbR4mgQhjNbh7JSlqUQUdf7wcHhWklgOWPwSZtZpkA8cfcNhWJ0hepw5q9YqMF9XNnamhpwzlILORZFbRpvP9_JEVwf37epn1aTCfABRJG60YjptZM5SCGKdxzYwtahIUTf4e45s5wI/s320/Jun+30+2011+039.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg52dgNDZeewfsgbOUG_eOuxAh4E2YzRr65Xq1IpdV7iEMeg4i4MJrbVnnqhs_6ywvEbKOZmAljJEsXQdIPGspotpDkbiOrNW2_ep9I0tv3yFXctCdx8gcBR080vwxFe0nmtUWJ8ZbwHA/s1600/Jun+30+2011+034.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg52dgNDZeewfsgbOUG_eOuxAh4E2YzRr65Xq1IpdV7iEMeg4i4MJrbVnnqhs_6ywvEbKOZmAljJEsXQdIPGspotpDkbiOrNW2_ep9I0tv3yFXctCdx8gcBR080vwxFe0nmtUWJ8ZbwHA/s320/Jun+30+2011+034.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular">As the storm moved away, sun played on its clouds, painting their edges with silver and their undersides in burnt ochre. I felt like I had been transported to another world and returned safely to earth.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lwlQJP0JAZg7UD1hriBad7z5TpTXPgSvoW3W2oDtO0OtrEw0p9BDxjrgGU9vHf1aPn29_OP9opl_fPXqXkqGLiOM5z1laxQdavnuq2xlGG78RuIpSaddAQxEST74rbS9uHN_PbfWA_E/s1600/Jun+30+2011+052.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lwlQJP0JAZg7UD1hriBad7z5TpTXPgSvoW3W2oDtO0OtrEw0p9BDxjrgGU9vHf1aPn29_OP9opl_fPXqXkqGLiOM5z1laxQdavnuq2xlGG78RuIpSaddAQxEST74rbS9uHN_PbfWA_E/s320/Jun+30+2011+052.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular">As I walked back down the jeep trail, the Colorado River brightened into its midday normality. The storm had dispersed into a few thin clouds, and mud covered some of the smooth rocks, making the descent difficult even for a non-jeep.</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-79467985227726390342011-06-29T16:12:00.000-07:002011-06-29T16:35:14.163-07:00A Strange Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5e9jvv2txZ7Lf_N1f04WJTCDrOwTKjwrGSShFK-NVZ_WmuVTwB9EcdjZxOPQeyqAhRVOcl_SGm22Yw-t5i2roD0omARpayQ5JNYg6zAIGrUVIs3NPY2uZgyDx55WyQRr__WFo_RxFx8/s1600/Jun+22+2011+038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5e9jvv2txZ7Lf_N1f04WJTCDrOwTKjwrGSShFK-NVZ_WmuVTwB9EcdjZxOPQeyqAhRVOcl_SGm22Yw-t5i2roD0omARpayQ5JNYg6zAIGrUVIs3NPY2uZgyDx55WyQRr__WFo_RxFx8/s320/Jun+22+2011+038.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Tiny arches, this view about three feet high</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">I had the usual anticipation this morning—another hike, another strange canyon, new distorted rocks. I opened the door and immediately felt warmth, unusual for pre-sunrise, and wind from the south, also unusual to one who lives here and knows nature’s patterns. Looking up, I found no stars, and that shook me. I think that one of the reasons I get away with what most people call danger is that I can change in a New York minute, turn on a penny’s worth of evidence, a hunch, intuition.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">I had told him I wanted to see a flash flood before I leave Utah, and he said it gets scary around here in a thunderstorm. Only nine inches of rain falls on an average year, and most of it comes in violent storms.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular">Any anasazi would have taken this morning’s signs as ominous, any cowboy who came to these mesas, even a uranium prospector bent on radioactive gold, and even me after three weeks. A sense comes with the desert, a feeling.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">So I didn’t go the canyon, didn’t see the golden sunrise, but went instead to a café, ordered coffee. I sat outside, which normally would be cold at this hour. My sitting was humidly and unpleasantly warm, but interesting because I watched a thunderstorm come in from the south, blacken the sunrise, and move out of here, all within thirty minutes. It dropped no rain. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">The wind stopped, the day turned hotter than any since my arrival. It felt wrong to go out in the sun for long, but not wrong to make the short drive into The Arches for a walk down Park Avenue, which they named for the rock “buildings” that line it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzGvyz1h_-hZ8J7XPLIPOWiesy8ZCc-XCfaaoMeZ-QAL9nVdRlH4CaiNh2BAfTJBziJ1RDC63WrnAyl0twXkNj469tznOuLusSeZnHX_SN_imDLvHy4InzE4wOIaF0npvQTt0ZK_j1e0/s1600/Jun+20+2011+061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinspe-a_cAIXsHwpq3YHLe40hIWCSVs7p3qVAuBocSJuIWej0_EDC08nwQ8J8GloNgDvxujC4ebt7Qume0jK_TXs1cAncFZHff-BVqBeSzREz8neV9a-DD7_gsUgbGjMYKrFfYq1iL68/s1600/Jun+20+2011+065.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinspe-a_cAIXsHwpq3YHLe40hIWCSVs7p3qVAuBocSJuIWej0_EDC08nwQ8J8GloNgDvxujC4ebt7Qume0jK_TXs1cAncFZHff-BVqBeSzREz8neV9a-DD7_gsUgbGjMYKrFfYq1iL68/s320/Jun+20+2011+065.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUS4gmahZsMcRlJq1hfpIJ_uKBoMhfgaDDLcw7LpK0tK7RmQx4uzSQtOjqc-6-oXc7dFQqK2a2LBp0CUe2otgdYCzTxP3rjRkIooxmJTVdUJDUAVpYhn1AKtdJfVayM6l_98s_TYLi5U/s1600/Jun+20+2011+066.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUS4gmahZsMcRlJq1hfpIJ_uKBoMhfgaDDLcw7LpK0tK7RmQx4uzSQtOjqc-6-oXc7dFQqK2a2LBp0CUe2otgdYCzTxP3rjRkIooxmJTVdUJDUAVpYhn1AKtdJfVayM6l_98s_TYLi5U/s320/Jun+20+2011+066.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Here is my castle with adjoining tower from which I survey my kingdom and the works that I have done. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzGvyz1h_-hZ8J7XPLIPOWiesy8ZCc-XCfaaoMeZ-QAL9nVdRlH4CaiNh2BAfTJBziJ1RDC63WrnAyl0twXkNj469tznOuLusSeZnHX_SN_imDLvHy4InzE4wOIaF0npvQTt0ZK_j1e0/s1600/Jun+20+2011+061.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzGvyz1h_-hZ8J7XPLIPOWiesy8ZCc-XCfaaoMeZ-QAL9nVdRlH4CaiNh2BAfTJBziJ1RDC63WrnAyl0twXkNj469tznOuLusSeZnHX_SN_imDLvHy4InzE4wOIaF0npvQTt0ZK_j1e0/s320/Jun+20+2011+061.jpg" width="239" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">This rock was set squarely on its pedestal many years ago, but I moved it to the side just enough to worry everyone.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJj9P4AX4g8lihf7RX8FYtrKxcXzNJ3fcjVte4EmGSriDpuUL_BhE9PaZFGUUzo36e2GYT05GxHo0dzLoLtEhH_DJWfNVyPJzDeKcrlJfN5HXNUZLCJ0dyEV4CnPUEkIVWnVdr4tiDxQ/s1600/Jun+28+2011+022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJj9P4AX4g8lihf7RX8FYtrKxcXzNJ3fcjVte4EmGSriDpuUL_BhE9PaZFGUUzo36e2GYT05GxHo0dzLoLtEhH_DJWfNVyPJzDeKcrlJfN5HXNUZLCJ0dyEV4CnPUEkIVWnVdr4tiDxQ/s320/Jun+28+2011+022.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">A Chucker, as the hunters call it, Hungarian Partridge, descendent from the ones Susan Dobay brought here from the old country many years ago.</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-3659467437283219352011-06-28T14:22:00.000-07:002011-06-28T14:27:25.673-07:00Moab<div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT23_v_q2ToTRQS7tJrmmMFUF4HAv9dYDKw1kCeprAHK7vI-rf2WLphaecrtmdnM0j6wQEMv0z9db7ju8y33QzVLBQ9bC7HJ3r5WoBXFILveJRZVEdYPjbdHVWlAUt198oS8bjnkHgcRk/s1600/Jun+19+2011+001.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT23_v_q2ToTRQS7tJrmmMFUF4HAv9dYDKw1kCeprAHK7vI-rf2WLphaecrtmdnM0j6wQEMv0z9db7ju8y33QzVLBQ9bC7HJ3r5WoBXFILveJRZVEdYPjbdHVWlAUt198oS8bjnkHgcRk/s320/Jun+19+2011+001.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">I pedaled solo through southern Utah in 2007 and fell in puppy love with sandstone and shapes of the artist. I would return to its red-wine intoxication, but it took four years. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKW6hClGa_501hTVdMkhyIOZnZJmlg_djpTprZ2LCu70CtnJCnX7S9C91jd26DfiIg6H8PWn0RdmXNPmidwS5IJPjsce36O586Fm6RSwL0f59j42d6KrmiIstf8sani_SeWbX8IgSIqE/s1600/moab+area+map.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKW6hClGa_501hTVdMkhyIOZnZJmlg_djpTprZ2LCu70CtnJCnX7S9C91jd26DfiIg6H8PWn0RdmXNPmidwS5IJPjsce36O586Fm6RSwL0f59j42d6KrmiIstf8sani_SeWbX8IgSIqE/s320/moab+area+map.gif" width="301" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Moab is the only town that’s close to Canyonlands and Arches National Parks and also close to many smaller places to escape and die and never be found. I came here for a long stay, to absorb depth, height and color until my need for it stops.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YvX46XgtbkQWDCrXAK-dtBzvGj-b8d3-WkaDtIBUOoERIISFrIUcrzFoOXAsz9R-AtbX0DcPh8pOSIZMk_WBQIGRqqtPmC0prgLHL7PjhZt7hTm8xUv-mBA2W314W8zVtkNAPMko0CU/s1600/Jun+17+2011+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YvX46XgtbkQWDCrXAK-dtBzvGj-b8d3-WkaDtIBUOoERIISFrIUcrzFoOXAsz9R-AtbX0DcPh8pOSIZMk_WBQIGRqqtPmC0prgLHL7PjhZt7hTm8xUv-mBA2W314W8zVtkNAPMko0CU/s320/Jun+17+2011+011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">I moved in on the seventh of June, took up residence in JR’s Desert Inn because they gave a good deal in peak season in at town of five thousand that gets a million visitors per year. The cheaper motels run about eighty dollars, but I stay for thirty-five on the story that I am quiet, don’t need room service, and will be here nearly a month. Raphael asks me every few days if I need anything. I hand him towels and sheets; he hands me clean ones.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEGAQinqr_ZZMgb7VpJgB24OOCNxRd6T8azXgdbFzu-k6lY1qfmEbOEkLbO_KdbafLh2Z4GYygMZl8BxtwlZAIlprFISV3yJwrySd0TG8wUVKNeuARoc_aYzwpMaAk1N_vmennf5z3Ic/s1600/Jun+17+2011+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrx9o_8TbPPA3bLV9uynYDJsIDS9Cn73zyZFQtVaAjNssTe_TIO0WQmPd5s4xacMjhRHLQEA83sDQalnAwFVsMznV0fczFY-ny28EFhTXdW1JwQcj7jkL5OMToEEC9XG04s_41v1sfN0U/s1600/Jun+17+2011+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrx9o_8TbPPA3bLV9uynYDJsIDS9Cn73zyZFQtVaAjNssTe_TIO0WQmPd5s4xacMjhRHLQEA83sDQalnAwFVsMznV0fczFY-ny28EFhTXdW1JwQcj7jkL5OMToEEC9XG04s_41v1sfN0U/s320/Jun+17+2011+010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEGAQinqr_ZZMgb7VpJgB24OOCNxRd6T8azXgdbFzu-k6lY1qfmEbOEkLbO_KdbafLh2Z4GYygMZl8BxtwlZAIlprFISV3yJwrySd0TG8wUVKNeuARoc_aYzwpMaAk1N_vmennf5z3Ic/s1600/Jun+17+2011+008.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEGAQinqr_ZZMgb7VpJgB24OOCNxRd6T8azXgdbFzu-k6lY1qfmEbOEkLbO_KdbafLh2Z4GYygMZl8BxtwlZAIlprFISV3yJwrySd0TG8wUVKNeuARoc_aYzwpMaAk1N_vmennf5z3Ic/s320/Jun+17+2011+008.jpg" width="320" /></a> The town has a dozen motels and a dozen restaurants. Neon NO modifies the vacancy signs about half the time. Most restaurants have waiting lists in the evenings. Gift shops line Main Street for its three-block central section. I’ve looked into all the shops and restaurants, but don’t linger there much. My schedule begins at least an hour before sunrise and by their dinnertimes I am nodding off.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBKxCzbMhNprPTVnNAghv3lDmLHFG3tVIG7T2JhPl43peDrr3SuPFowcHkKiTThM-n1Y0cUti0pWawGXJSxIe_f2QKuRvsh8gFg4gY9yUrKwQL8ukWB_Dw9gTAv_fh1eWlTcyg4AAIjk/s1600/Jun+28+2011+034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBKxCzbMhNprPTVnNAghv3lDmLHFG3tVIG7T2JhPl43peDrr3SuPFowcHkKiTThM-n1Y0cUti0pWawGXJSxIe_f2QKuRvsh8gFg4gY9yUrKwQL8ukWB_Dw9gTAv_fh1eWlTcyg4AAIjk/s320/Jun+28+2011+034.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">To the west of Moab, red sandstone rises, and of course I go up there to have a look around. Who wouldn’t? If you think I live averse to civilized society, it’s not true, just the way it worked out. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1JBia0ItXzSLnZm067OKblBM_0vWgXm8TPvZz5ieZBdmx9Kdxs-U8N4u6UpjKRXg4MPVsD5Icc0VF-PUCCeUSvQ8PF7lrrtgG9d97wcDXTkXqvfcOgkwHOkCHqC29ap20tHOc5p_N54/s1600/Jun+28+2011+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNnAhIomKYAWO7-1uvIjBiGHFveJE6V4p93g5QhF9rjAR72cA3TyUAYoghsXrLtymz8RDINrUqIk3zay0xOCMPyiI90W25p6TpVdxv3Os2TMW8GQT0vuivzORgKX7MYgv1-6Jpk3Z2fVw/s1600/Jun+28+2011+032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNnAhIomKYAWO7-1uvIjBiGHFveJE6V4p93g5QhF9rjAR72cA3TyUAYoghsXrLtymz8RDINrUqIk3zay0xOCMPyiI90W25p6TpVdxv3Os2TMW8GQT0vuivzORgKX7MYgv1-6Jpk3Z2fVw/s320/Jun+28+2011+032.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1JBia0ItXzSLnZm067OKblBM_0vWgXm8TPvZz5ieZBdmx9Kdxs-U8N4u6UpjKRXg4MPVsD5Icc0VF-PUCCeUSvQ8PF7lrrtgG9d97wcDXTkXqvfcOgkwHOkCHqC29ap20tHOc5p_N54/s1600/Jun+28+2011+025.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1JBia0ItXzSLnZm067OKblBM_0vWgXm8TPvZz5ieZBdmx9Kdxs-U8N4u6UpjKRXg4MPVsD5Icc0VF-PUCCeUSvQ8PF7lrrtgG9d97wcDXTkXqvfcOgkwHOkCHqC29ap20tHOc5p_N54/s320/Jun+28+2011+025.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Looking down on Moab, I see an agrarian culture turned host. Where Mormons came to convert the Utes, and cowboys came to exploit the grass, prospectors to relive the gold rush stories of their grandfathers refitted in uranium, now the neglected arches and needles bring thousands to viewpoint turnouts and loop drives from which they can return to the same gas station and give big tips to waitresses who know how to smooze.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-7636970327466964052011-06-27T16:12:00.000-07:002011-06-27T18:40:03.070-07:00Better than the Golden Sunrise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaviBPPycygXZ_d_ovlGGM6lemT7iC28-WCQYnRJ_AzybEe0AlFFVhjWWKzlAVhsjiR3XVVphTv_I0_T00whu2rvMPZglqZrllMFXwkcvh6gBUUGVQ04HOISeNQxmYleP3OQ3phL50zsw/s1600/Jun+27+2011+005a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaviBPPycygXZ_d_ovlGGM6lemT7iC28-WCQYnRJ_AzybEe0AlFFVhjWWKzlAVhsjiR3XVVphTv_I0_T00whu2rvMPZglqZrllMFXwkcvh6gBUUGVQ04HOISeNQxmYleP3OQ3phL50zsw/s640/Jun+27+2011+005a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLpf71WTb-BKjD5oZVwuTNcN7DULFEST8l6fNrwXzXjhdy3gBZtcJL1EC9A_mebCONaabW_RRxD-VZTOqwBA0_9Z2uvYQXzpLRnbFFd6RWVm6hzzupRFhZ82WDa5R9iXWzWRDc1IZwPE/s1600/Jun+27+2011+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="Regular"> We greet each other, the sun and I, across 93 million miles of black void. Morning is sweeter in the knowledge of what the afternoon will bring, and it’s been bringing it on hotter as July approaches, here on my island in the sun.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrjje1GwHe-h0idQZ9Re9iS4-bj3JHbXHSCUIZZBhJTzewJcB1asEQDIiN7dr1Vp8NEQ1L7MvGXtY2tyUa7daomqrfHkAw3RkPbijbxMjcQ5Maj4v9C-9m9ZTExKZXNFrtUyO6uuVCB0/s1600/Jun+27+2011+017.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrjje1GwHe-h0idQZ9Re9iS4-bj3JHbXHSCUIZZBhJTzewJcB1asEQDIiN7dr1Vp8NEQ1L7MvGXtY2tyUa7daomqrfHkAw3RkPbijbxMjcQ5Maj4v9C-9m9ZTExKZXNFrtUyO6uuVCB0/s320/Jun+27+2011+017.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLpf71WTb-BKjD5oZVwuTNcN7DULFEST8l6fNrwXzXjhdy3gBZtcJL1EC9A_mebCONaabW_RRxD-VZTOqwBA0_9Z2uvYQXzpLRnbFFd6RWVm6hzzupRFhZ82WDa5R9iXWzWRDc1IZwPE/s1600/Jun+27+2011+014.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLpf71WTb-BKjD5oZVwuTNcN7DULFEST8l6fNrwXzXjhdy3gBZtcJL1EC9A_mebCONaabW_RRxD-VZTOqwBA0_9Z2uvYQXzpLRnbFFd6RWVm6hzzupRFhZ82WDa5R9iXWzWRDc1IZwPE/s320/Jun+27+2011+014.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular">Again I go to the edge of the world and look down. Another day, another trail. This one goes to where the Puebloans would have gone two thousand years ago, followed by the Utes, the Mormons, the cowboys, and today by anyone foolish enough not to carry water. The old ones would have known about Neck Springs.<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZQLAgvGnPqzehkxF2Br-e821IZUiQIWIYPdL-DAFKIjHO9ecRMofz04IJ9bOUDFGmse-GFI9RWytgihYQ5REbpeV2sZeczUq8rhv5-wb5pFEHQzIMebDqEBwLOyWZWYiO59IvpnQgmQ/s1600/Jun+27+2011+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZQLAgvGnPqzehkxF2Br-e821IZUiQIWIYPdL-DAFKIjHO9ecRMofz04IJ9bOUDFGmse-GFI9RWytgihYQ5REbpeV2sZeczUq8rhv5-wb5pFEHQzIMebDqEBwLOyWZWYiO59IvpnQgmQ/s320/Jun+27+2011+011.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5XdbyGpJR3Nu21buhICu6zlGdR63DXXAHYhp3b47XY7aiERnQIGq7trHzjnTSX5U1sg3JV2O6LhoqGKMQSdn0vFgaQ1kRqwi8v-wpzQmK94TEJ5hIn1OGs4zBwODCg7fBoqOXDeWmbo/s1600/Jun+27+2011+007.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5XdbyGpJR3Nu21buhICu6zlGdR63DXXAHYhp3b47XY7aiERnQIGq7trHzjnTSX5U1sg3JV2O6LhoqGKMQSdn0vFgaQ1kRqwi8v-wpzQmK94TEJ5hIn1OGs4zBwODCg7fBoqOXDeWmbo/s320/Jun+27+2011+007.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular">After descending over a gentler place in the cliff, I find it—water. The plants lead me; they have always known.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQdcuaaaRyKX21R2ro8EaDkFQEwhAwJ4sHSQRCDAhMXyS7CEa_4DMpyuHfLzJOCgZd0uW_1JMeh1soMhujt5l4So0pQ9yQHo8as9py1UnOkJ2qlWD8htWdWoQYL5LKaYFcX28jtVDKus/s1600/Jun+27+2011+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQdcuaaaRyKX21R2ro8EaDkFQEwhAwJ4sHSQRCDAhMXyS7CEa_4DMpyuHfLzJOCgZd0uW_1JMeh1soMhujt5l4So0pQ9yQHo8as9py1UnOkJ2qlWD8htWdWoQYL5LKaYFcX28jtVDKus/s320/Jun+27+2011+015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Looking up, I see the seamen gaze ahead. Land Ho, one shouts. And they too find the Island in the Sky.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7B22hIRzuyqgXbz-P9nQniFAEfj4I071x1EfbbVna_sO7WTrIAjkHWjK5j04FxE2ASs2MwBjJF2ztZ5ZYc57P2Toreos3k0DhCxZBWWLdqE-KxmHB6C1a0zGwLCbaQFFKydif3TB2XG4/s1600/Jun+22+2011+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7B22hIRzuyqgXbz-P9nQniFAEfj4I071x1EfbbVna_sO7WTrIAjkHWjK5j04FxE2ASs2MwBjJF2ztZ5ZYc57P2Toreos3k0DhCxZBWWLdqE-KxmHB6C1a0zGwLCbaQFFKydif3TB2XG4/s320/Jun+22+2011+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Like ships on the sea, Monitor and Merrimac Buttes, named for two iron ships in the Civil War—Merrimac (left), the Confederate ship, Monitor (right) the Union ship. Entrada Sandstone, rising six hundred feet, same rock as in Arches Park.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-bPnyePaWC6Iz4ycTtLGBC4jcfHLc6RzWyOw_bnbioVidSxL__n9_t9S89JuDMcSnx6PeztY_ktGJes5_zqpwrDgAdBwVohd6_5tDN57jnL-3YZiKpjKorheGl53DbAMMeElrSzzuCo/s1600/Jun+27+2011+024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-bPnyePaWC6Iz4ycTtLGBC4jcfHLc6RzWyOw_bnbioVidSxL__n9_t9S89JuDMcSnx6PeztY_ktGJes5_zqpwrDgAdBwVohd6_5tDN57jnL-3YZiKpjKorheGl53DbAMMeElrSzzuCo/s400/Jun+27+2011+024.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Welcome to Upheaval Dome. So strangely different is this place than anything around here that geologists study it with great interest. We must, of course, understand every phenomenon, catalog it, and thereby make ourselves feel competent. It’s what religion does with natural things, artists do on canvas, and what I do in writing this blog. I’m not criticizing, just lowering our importance. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Some geologists attribute this two-mile wide mouth to the impact of a comet fragment some sixty million years ago. Others say that because this whole region is underlain by salt leftover from several ancient seas, and because salt becomes plastic under great pressure, that it welled up in this particular place to form a dome, which eroded to become the blue spectacle you see.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-36387431746856217662011-06-26T15:26:00.000-07:002011-06-26T15:29:25.099-07:00Brute Force and Compliance<div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvNUq4nBsqbaXJbLbMZ4s-1bmFi8OU2C-gnD1S22nXJViW2jtGEapO2B2kl4b962bOIZZfBC-v8PP4LnlqOiyVPKGLYx_HllV1QmApA7sMfOIsq6oL4Ek9ppMDDoY7K4vHw3sX_QE5yY/s1600/Jun+16+2011+071.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvNUq4nBsqbaXJbLbMZ4s-1bmFi8OU2C-gnD1S22nXJViW2jtGEapO2B2kl4b962bOIZZfBC-v8PP4LnlqOiyVPKGLYx_HllV1QmApA7sMfOIsq6oL4Ek9ppMDDoY7K4vHw3sX_QE5yY/s320/Jun+16+2011+071.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsg8j8WFk93HG0i_FLjOeQLpf_GOxDEwYNvQpGgb5yPVwSzpFsVeIKnsCXKukvRY3DfVCOFC7VKyXTFzWYnilBAp5I0MUGpb7Q48YH0W_-zh_M8ewAqy8CaocXR-yLGxZVoIRAwQBrIs/s1600/Jun+16+2011+072.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsg8j8WFk93HG0i_FLjOeQLpf_GOxDEwYNvQpGgb5yPVwSzpFsVeIKnsCXKukvRY3DfVCOFC7VKyXTFzWYnilBAp5I0MUGpb7Q48YH0W_-zh_M8ewAqy8CaocXR-yLGxZVoIRAwQBrIs/s320/Jun+16+2011+072.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"> By the mid 1950’s Moab was bursting at the seams with thousands of prospectors for uranium. They came to make millions, but few did. The price of ore fell and the miners left. A processing plant for uranium ore opened in 1956 and closed in 1984. What the prospectors left on the landscape is a network of ugly and rugged roads to their would-be mines, to their lost fortunes. Today, jeeps venture these dare-devil roads. The perfect wedding for me would be to a jeeper, because he can pick me up along some jeep road where most of the trails end. Open for proposals.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTDVs49cNxs6FWbJmYuq97QlLB_aED4sBuaN1iAzCd23cUjtNulKC_mrtmJ5ryvv5PYOL42O20pX6ERHLzQUd9P1ry1tqXTYh9VnC6pdPsIlKi4lVp5YAxTIkx45sYm7ZL0ggOdiFi6g/s1600/Jun+25+2011+038b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTDVs49cNxs6FWbJmYuq97QlLB_aED4sBuaN1iAzCd23cUjtNulKC_mrtmJ5ryvv5PYOL42O20pX6ERHLzQUd9P1ry1tqXTYh9VnC6pdPsIlKi4lVp5YAxTIkx45sYm7ZL0ggOdiFi6g/s320/Jun+25+2011+038b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"> “The desert is a good school in which to observe the cleverness . . . of survival under pitiless opposition. Life could not change the sun or water, so it changed itself”—John Steinbeck </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vNlaCBlYXGVmlC3ylM0e8TJfCO8R5d1sugNLwJrB-nZKWf80yQe3eNZto-F1CZGFk-jISI1adJL7PSHiOgDmnceeIhFR6iFVfdg5IQHw_g9ncVNBQGmPdXxhpWcy_LAeDmQCHDbEA8w/s1600/Jun+20+2011+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vNlaCBlYXGVmlC3ylM0e8TJfCO8R5d1sugNLwJrB-nZKWf80yQe3eNZto-F1CZGFk-jISI1adJL7PSHiOgDmnceeIhFR6iFVfdg5IQHw_g9ncVNBQGmPdXxhpWcy_LAeDmQCHDbEA8w/s320/Jun+20+2011+021.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">This country has lured me in, captured me, and after twenty days, has not let go. From the edge of this island in the sky it is possible to gaze down on the backs of soaring birds, and I shall go there tomorrow for more of it.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHorQi0sN1EEUO18FvHED3EsTLMLG-ErgRURD9gCAEv1Xxjl1kOI7YQY6n_Ct_ITjvXUVL_FXe60mj71IoVLrXwNO5Fnv4K_fpFOvjT2zw_vhn9QUq5mdozLT7tU0C4Jj4yAgGi8c56tk/s1600/Jun+20+2011+038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNuDrZfoNuyfU66VklRsPyLiD-PYM-sy-rwpSJ_wdxCzNUegnT7_JsxfHB6AMhUhdVo5i43KGnLlJOaw8yBNglyYNEToN_g2gcxlotwAwaKXPYEt3SZFY2Vmga93602dpsMtlFiL0Apg/s1600/Jun+22+2011+021.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNuDrZfoNuyfU66VklRsPyLiD-PYM-sy-rwpSJ_wdxCzNUegnT7_JsxfHB6AMhUhdVo5i43KGnLlJOaw8yBNglyYNEToN_g2gcxlotwAwaKXPYEt3SZFY2Vmga93602dpsMtlFiL0Apg/s320/Jun+22+2011+021.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHorQi0sN1EEUO18FvHED3EsTLMLG-ErgRURD9gCAEv1Xxjl1kOI7YQY6n_Ct_ITjvXUVL_FXe60mj71IoVLrXwNO5Fnv4K_fpFOvjT2zw_vhn9QUq5mdozLT7tU0C4Jj4yAgGi8c56tk/s1600/Jun+20+2011+038.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHorQi0sN1EEUO18FvHED3EsTLMLG-ErgRURD9gCAEv1Xxjl1kOI7YQY6n_Ct_ITjvXUVL_FXe60mj71IoVLrXwNO5Fnv4K_fpFOvjT2zw_vhn9QUq5mdozLT7tU0C4Jj4yAgGi8c56tk/s320/Jun+20+2011+038.jpg" width="238" /></a> </div><div class="Regular">Plants and animals with remarkable adaptations for desert survival greet me with apathy. Some escape the average hell and live in nooks where the desert is less harsh—cottonwoods, single-leaf mahogany. Some live only when the desert relents its cruelty—the annuals—and resign their species to seed for the harsh times of year. And some, like the juniper, just stick it out in some crack in rock and simply die back if rain delays its blessing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvNUq4nBsqbaXJbLbMZ4s-1bmFi8OU2C-gnD1S22nXJViW2jtGEapO2B2kl4b962bOIZZfBC-v8PP4LnlqOiyVPKGLYx_HllV1QmApA7sMfOIsq6oL4Ek9ppMDDoY7K4vHw3sX_QE5yY/s1600/Jun+16+2011+071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9ZW_S3DWSO6rWpBFQn_w96NQ1w2xIoVBBFMws-NCP6UuXoDlaRxR9ZCTyUkoGkmXVjNCxHbSEwqQ8vQ2Hcn8yVsJcul0i3f2Kc1j1Z4h8fMrt20VxNU50rFH-0SGu0IGq9meWtRAzhA/s1600/Jun+18+2011+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFigo2qdoxrqXVSHjZDf2PHqwovEjZOBt78rdER4DrR4rC0Yus-ng_FBwrL5F785uuSRItL5CD0KWc80GIicDGzqqiV6IKeqgZZ5EEokFanH01-juwqQQztxK9pTfG2E9rbQ2UPE_GO-I/s1600/Jun+17+2011+003.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFigo2qdoxrqXVSHjZDf2PHqwovEjZOBt78rdER4DrR4rC0Yus-ng_FBwrL5F785uuSRItL5CD0KWc80GIicDGzqqiV6IKeqgZZ5EEokFanH01-juwqQQztxK9pTfG2E9rbQ2UPE_GO-I/s320/Jun+17+2011+003.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9ZW_S3DWSO6rWpBFQn_w96NQ1w2xIoVBBFMws-NCP6UuXoDlaRxR9ZCTyUkoGkmXVjNCxHbSEwqQ8vQ2Hcn8yVsJcul0i3f2Kc1j1Z4h8fMrt20VxNU50rFH-0SGu0IGq9meWtRAzhA/s1600/Jun+18+2011+001.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9ZW_S3DWSO6rWpBFQn_w96NQ1w2xIoVBBFMws-NCP6UuXoDlaRxR9ZCTyUkoGkmXVjNCxHbSEwqQ8vQ2Hcn8yVsJcul0i3f2Kc1j1Z4h8fMrt20VxNU50rFH-0SGu0IGq9meWtRAzhA/s320/Jun+18+2011+001.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Along the great river, everything changes. Anything can grow. But just a hundred feet from the river, life in all its starkness resumes.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-18417060847343478092011-06-25T16:39:00.000-07:002011-06-25T16:44:29.040-07:00Island in the Sky<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3lguxFGAvckYwfYy-CLfZBWFoTTJdOmQnW6kZXDD6GEkCroE2zejhVafOPQoc_NhyphenhyphenEU9BqeQAOZJvH0PSL5bU4Ft8KhZovbTUbMLUrs-v7u_y0Ax5aokhJOs0dT93GbrUy7VIquWYpk/s1600/Jun+25+2011+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38HTBh-rzlXWccUPF-dpvDbgNFjjiKUJVV6TqNOzYYmLOudYai_JM_jvLfNnUJGfEvph1BZ6_RU_DqG0k7MWmNLEoyzXxGd3glonKlAcG4rJVUh328fBQ7FHfdSYXzEWkfBRev0aDoRA/s1600/Jun+25+2011+001.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38HTBh-rzlXWccUPF-dpvDbgNFjjiKUJVV6TqNOzYYmLOudYai_JM_jvLfNnUJGfEvph1BZ6_RU_DqG0k7MWmNLEoyzXxGd3glonKlAcG4rJVUh328fBQ7FHfdSYXzEWkfBRev0aDoRA/s320/Jun+25+2011+001.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3lguxFGAvckYwfYy-CLfZBWFoTTJdOmQnW6kZXDD6GEkCroE2zejhVafOPQoc_NhyphenhyphenEU9BqeQAOZJvH0PSL5bU4Ft8KhZovbTUbMLUrs-v7u_y0Ax5aokhJOs0dT93GbrUy7VIquWYpk/s1600/Jun+25+2011+025.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3lguxFGAvckYwfYy-CLfZBWFoTTJdOmQnW6kZXDD6GEkCroE2zejhVafOPQoc_NhyphenhyphenEU9BqeQAOZJvH0PSL5bU4Ft8KhZovbTUbMLUrs-v7u_y0Ax5aokhJOs0dT93GbrUy7VIquWYpk/s320/Jun+25+2011+025.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
The northern part of Canyonlands National Park is cut off from the southern part by the deeply gorged of Colorado River. Land above the two-thousand-foot, vertical-walled chasm, is almost flat and quite fertile. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj810HksF5M9m5FC938Bs7K8_JbWlfZ_ThjvZo4A-mrRtB0RyEtYSlsWuNtePgQxy8_XLbSRhssBJfFO2c3mZNYtfgnN7PJjgn3VT2rYC5EY2Hjnu5k0skWaIpxou7xEMGetWGgXR_T9KI/s1600/Jun+25+2011+005.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj810HksF5M9m5FC938Bs7K8_JbWlfZ_ThjvZo4A-mrRtB0RyEtYSlsWuNtePgQxy8_XLbSRhssBJfFO2c3mZNYtfgnN7PJjgn3VT2rYC5EY2Hjnu5k0skWaIpxou7xEMGetWGgXR_T9KI/s320/Jun+25+2011+005.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsD-1Jg8hQhLWmhyJayqUtITuT9Z0c1HdBK9Lb1_uRPIzR90uA7e3QbMAAqxjbSwE6bm0gHQRk9lcDNNNSC-TbWrHDps4X3KwWXfi63z_owD5RU-VVDAb0mkVcWoEs-RRZPwPVcjnbXQ/s1600/Jun+25+2011+019.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsD-1Jg8hQhLWmhyJayqUtITuT9Z0c1HdBK9Lb1_uRPIzR90uA7e3QbMAAqxjbSwE6bm0gHQRk9lcDNNNSC-TbWrHDps4X3KwWXfi63z_owD5RU-VVDAb0mkVcWoEs-RRZPwPVcjnbXQ/s320/Jun+25+2011+019.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular">I showed the gorge on Wednesday from Dead Horse Point. Today I walked out on the mesa above the river they call Island in the Sky, like a floating platform for life and meandering. I walked several miles to the edge-of-the-world where another step would take me almost straight down to the muddy river. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtkK9MzA9ZXkH-xQFKGFlpu9CHcX0QznQvTJfNe_5V9hbXX7k_AczRhTsli4HH6SJPlgvtAetO_rctNGqvL_ZC2ac5ltdzmRen4_vS1V0zLTfUqs8LGDl-8Tj4mgRoGW-C7jetD8eLs8/s1600/Jun+25+2011+038.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtkK9MzA9ZXkH-xQFKGFlpu9CHcX0QznQvTJfNe_5V9hbXX7k_AczRhTsli4HH6SJPlgvtAetO_rctNGqvL_ZC2ac5ltdzmRen4_vS1V0zLTfUqs8LGDl-8Tj4mgRoGW-C7jetD8eLs8/s320/Jun+25+2011+038.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyORiBryl7U4pRNZbZNjQy_2aQSK3E6CmrOTZEBb7xz6p5ttqN-h2GbGIPfI67MOhIzQLjf4MolfmXTm1_6je3LUk6gZ1kQTskduWUV3UaMxcw3ggY3bXxRbedgJ6J0vw3dw836AZl7JM/s1600/Jun+25+2011+054.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyORiBryl7U4pRNZbZNjQy_2aQSK3E6CmrOTZEBb7xz6p5ttqN-h2GbGIPfI67MOhIzQLjf4MolfmXTm1_6je3LUk6gZ1kQTskduWUV3UaMxcw3ggY3bXxRbedgJ6J0vw3dw836AZl7JM/s320/Jun+25+2011+054.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular">Soil is fairly deep up here at six thousand feet. It retains enough of the meager rainfall to grow a healthy crop of grass. I walked through waist-high grass today, but it was not always so. Cattlemen used to graze their herds here where fences are not needed, the drop-off being sufficient to keep the animals “in.” Now that it’s a national park the grass grows high, and among the tough clumps are many wildflowers. I wish I knew all their names.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmxYrgdjyj8i-dBJ97fwG6owo9j0g_be64GfYYpHbx1sVkDliTFOK5R_X9YmZshNiZa5QZ_ucfFSUgZRWz0Yun_iCerX-bhU13bkG7OjhXJT5fwMfrM4-ae2yDX1S-jtMY3SZQlrxa1OQ/s1600/Jun+25+2011+043.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmxYrgdjyj8i-dBJ97fwG6owo9j0g_be64GfYYpHbx1sVkDliTFOK5R_X9YmZshNiZa5QZ_ucfFSUgZRWz0Yun_iCerX-bhU13bkG7OjhXJT5fwMfrM4-ae2yDX1S-jtMY3SZQlrxa1OQ/s320/Jun+25+2011+043.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9g9b8O2orDD4zodcaz5-xhxpGIifRNsIgNIHNx2JDZvk9rzueQwk4v5PTzYeDv_tNWT2ET-bXbKFANSuwFbD-OBz2lI49HDaaWyFJJpgpEMdaGyclPxzJT9hPtK4CPzHdQC8N-4T5XJA/s1600/Jun+25+2011+049.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9g9b8O2orDD4zodcaz5-xhxpGIifRNsIgNIHNx2JDZvk9rzueQwk4v5PTzYeDv_tNWT2ET-bXbKFANSuwFbD-OBz2lI49HDaaWyFJJpgpEMdaGyclPxzJT9hPtK4CPzHdQC8N-4T5XJA/s320/Jun+25+2011+049.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular">I walked on the flat mesa enjoying the flowers before finding a string of rock cairns that pointed a way over the edge. I might have gone all the way down to the river, but saw no point. Just enough hiking to get tired, not enough to make tomorrow hard. Just enough to find a few unique places, not so much that they become mundane.</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-11315522632623469262011-06-24T19:01:00.000-07:002011-06-24T19:10:16.686-07:00La Sal Mountains<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApoVyqgwNisQbNk3KTSOzo7GC6LxumSeyuRybSQRqtPiRocQLVOcYZyuWtOeJtth_MEJGVW6ukrWoFEHHdRhkGGgFGgQp9B63ZzOKv6XLY8b2yCA7MdZS2HyQgTSHc_ibkLgU84i8o6A/s1600/Jun+13+2011+066a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApoVyqgwNisQbNk3KTSOzo7GC6LxumSeyuRybSQRqtPiRocQLVOcYZyuWtOeJtth_MEJGVW6ukrWoFEHHdRhkGGgFGgQp9B63ZzOKv6XLY8b2yCA7MdZS2HyQgTSHc_ibkLgU84i8o6A/s640/Jun+13+2011+066a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9BT4s-HeFYqyXcj9vZ01qZuhYg3g5PPZBGFpfDxbQreLk0XfN3FAT22nmDlMkBnoy4ffIk-R7z7iV0JtnP7WP5itgpyTScZTWs991d7hl6zpsy5VZh73fZppb2B5iAoJhk6KpajIJ_4/s1600/Jun+24+2011+072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27xzbtpCc3c5dqK64s4mWhfwwaWqTxJDe5WpZKCbELdt1Ryj00zzcV0sTxDajqKFx3sMgakkjpt16hzTDI_UjG713Rhtua34xClWlb9jfvV0srcVEVFYFmobKXGXt8sJtGZEmFSy8lOk/s1600/Jun+24+2011+035.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27xzbtpCc3c5dqK64s4mWhfwwaWqTxJDe5WpZKCbELdt1Ryj00zzcV0sTxDajqKFx3sMgakkjpt16hzTDI_UjG713Rhtua34xClWlb9jfvV0srcVEVFYFmobKXGXt8sJtGZEmFSy8lOk/s320/Jun+24+2011+035.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggRnIjsvgk1EGEgIbT7gwLdFuDApGHhk3x_FZYjIUtRlqgzTunDXOPZLetTxYMUj_nKRu_2a5GPEG_V6sQLkVbiPMdCZWVQNkK5QOza-cnriQJnLZagb3PZZMWQUa92ldvsimP8nfAWqM/s1600/Jun+24+2011+041.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggRnIjsvgk1EGEgIbT7gwLdFuDApGHhk3x_FZYjIUtRlqgzTunDXOPZLetTxYMUj_nKRu_2a5GPEG_V6sQLkVbiPMdCZWVQNkK5QOza-cnriQJnLZagb3PZZMWQUa92ldvsimP8nfAWqM/s320/Jun+24+2011+041.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Only seven days remain here in Moab; more than two-thirds of my time passed lickety-split. A mostly lonesome passage from human interaction to enthrallment with ancient, wonderfully complex rock.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCi6nem5-cVbkJspqBoUaN9LkOmQkshnIcCIhw5NpYUTCrzIAqTq2VgJGN37GTxxQZhkB_DTFB4V9aQBWIWyto5xLlMKqAEhV3xfD3_sit8KhAsXJEakCi0bO_dajnCwyt7fg5mcLc4dY/s1600/Jun+24+2011+061.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCi6nem5-cVbkJspqBoUaN9LkOmQkshnIcCIhw5NpYUTCrzIAqTq2VgJGN37GTxxQZhkB_DTFB4V9aQBWIWyto5xLlMKqAEhV3xfD3_sit8KhAsXJEakCi0bO_dajnCwyt7fg5mcLc4dY/s320/Jun+24+2011+061.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9BT4s-HeFYqyXcj9vZ01qZuhYg3g5PPZBGFpfDxbQreLk0XfN3FAT22nmDlMkBnoy4ffIk-R7z7iV0JtnP7WP5itgpyTScZTWs991d7hl6zpsy5VZh73fZppb2B5iAoJhk6KpajIJ_4/s1600/Jun+24+2011+072.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9BT4s-HeFYqyXcj9vZ01qZuhYg3g5PPZBGFpfDxbQreLk0XfN3FAT22nmDlMkBnoy4ffIk-R7z7iV0JtnP7WP5itgpyTScZTWs991d7hl6zpsy5VZh73fZppb2B5iAoJhk6KpajIJ_4/s320/Jun+24+2011+072.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Every day in Arches Park, I would come eventually to a high place where, instead of red sandstone shaped by physics or God into forms that demand attention, I would cast a wistful eye to the La Sal Mountains some thirty miles to the southeast. At thirteen thousand feet, their peaks stand some eight thousand feet higher than me, rosy in the morning sun, with blue scarves of snow flying in the wind. See one of those views from Arches above.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmGYbD_XNg_NMLxFujWDnTmP404MhxXUYKBACDGYstCPzPvJzi3-M5QXR5zirqE9NIsI9niygjx2-Hi9zqA701Mh_HuQmJ1CVda_T6uXzTyq2QUtxBoRS86AYJLPbmI4CCpIyXpPhH-8/s1600/Jun+24+2011+101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvuKvSUKh3HFapMcGeOqb8Qk7jq6FSB9fmXTiv9UqWf8OllwUzCuZsD-VDeJmYmxi-LphM2TFNn8SbaaYx_Cr_jRhGkU3GEwdx0mVFjTHe2GeoRhp-zwnsW3X7_mlvcKpqGMz3ua-ZEA/s1600/Jun+24+2011+090.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcCbluIyIVNrE2zgs-2tUR4hQ-gcJwlzU-l6Z7f1lBgRQ_D42hTpM7NQ9JN-9ipiVQH08rw1BwekXY0oKg9uEi1JDoXC-wnDbU3KJE3SfrPjARyn8IGUWMyODY0KTqEUFxwBc5JgAWm8/s1600/Jun+24+2011+079.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcCbluIyIVNrE2zgs-2tUR4hQ-gcJwlzU-l6Z7f1lBgRQ_D42hTpM7NQ9JN-9ipiVQH08rw1BwekXY0oKg9uEi1JDoXC-wnDbU3KJE3SfrPjARyn8IGUWMyODY0KTqEUFxwBc5JgAWm8/s320/Jun+24+2011+079.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvuKvSUKh3HFapMcGeOqb8Qk7jq6FSB9fmXTiv9UqWf8OllwUzCuZsD-VDeJmYmxi-LphM2TFNn8SbaaYx_Cr_jRhGkU3GEwdx0mVFjTHe2GeoRhp-zwnsW3X7_mlvcKpqGMz3ua-ZEA/s1600/Jun+24+2011+090.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>When I arrived on June 7, I bought a trail map and asked how the trails might be faring. With some three times normal snowfall last winter and melting fast—not so well, I was told. So I waited until today to go. I drove high among these alluring peaks, and then took to a trail.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"> <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvuKvSUKh3HFapMcGeOqb8Qk7jq6FSB9fmXTiv9UqWf8OllwUzCuZsD-VDeJmYmxi-LphM2TFNn8SbaaYx_Cr_jRhGkU3GEwdx0mVFjTHe2GeoRhp-zwnsW3X7_mlvcKpqGMz3ua-ZEA/s1600/Jun+24+2011+090.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvuKvSUKh3HFapMcGeOqb8Qk7jq6FSB9fmXTiv9UqWf8OllwUzCuZsD-VDeJmYmxi-LphM2TFNn8SbaaYx_Cr_jRhGkU3GEwdx0mVFjTHe2GeoRhp-zwnsW3X7_mlvcKpqGMz3ua-ZEA/s320/Jun+24+2011+090.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Driving upward through pygmy forest of juniper and <span lang="ES">piñon pine</span>. On up come the scrub oak jungles, the Manzanita, sumac and dogbane. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Quaking aspen, tall, straight slim trees with bark as white as the birches of International Falls, The foliage responds to the slightest movement of air.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimzxqLuumTCvKz-nPh0lcJTJZZMy2uHGMf89ygI2AI1_CC2-NRfnHwyMSI49lI0ioqp7z4aK5oGBkwIpRuD1jCf-caqMK3wjbdK1nUotj7xTRQpRqRkZ27KwWxqrsrk7Dg5aKzMUAXj0/s1600/Jun+24+2011+098.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimzxqLuumTCvKz-nPh0lcJTJZZMy2uHGMf89ygI2AI1_CC2-NRfnHwyMSI49lI0ioqp7z4aK5oGBkwIpRuD1jCf-caqMK3wjbdK1nUotj7xTRQpRqRkZ27KwWxqrsrk7Dg5aKzMUAXj0/s320/Jun+24+2011+098.jpg" width="238" /></a><br />
<br />
I climb into a springtime of flowers—larkspur with thick stem and deep blue petals; blue flax with pale sky-blue petals veined in violate, state flower of Utah.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Climbing higher, red fir and lodgepole pine forest, subtle fragrance of sun-warmed, oozing resin. I climb to nine thousand feet and see timberline at about eleven thousand, the peaks two thousand feet above that.</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-60806537197712409312011-06-22T16:07:00.000-07:002011-06-22T16:22:32.477-07:00Dead Horse Point<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1jA2BpJRWRSjUEUPyB8nRvv4X8Dd5YCnOn585eSzoyWUbU_PASZIwdus1wbuSa1FdC3xl5F8r24MNihu85Gv7QIMoEv89qZJ8tyRbdzTTnPuPBxmLEH-BJwwLX8F-vXWZloi5dEFl9g/s1600/Jun+22+2011+037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1jA2BpJRWRSjUEUPyB8nRvv4X8Dd5YCnOn585eSzoyWUbU_PASZIwdus1wbuSa1FdC3xl5F8r24MNihu85Gv7QIMoEv89qZJ8tyRbdzTTnPuPBxmLEH-BJwwLX8F-vXWZloi5dEFl9g/s1600/Jun+22+2011+037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf86zcbLR_NVQD3IhjayBycoFYagHvd00dc5BLpj3GMHkKa7qFZcXqt2hKHWX8rRqqQrwjcy-1_yInT7YwY_CZXQ6PJAX6muJGRmYRJ42xNI6Bslxsp1U0Ako8zWZGHiD9s0aH6zt4uIE/s1600/Jun+22+2011+019.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1jA2BpJRWRSjUEUPyB8nRvv4X8Dd5YCnOn585eSzoyWUbU_PASZIwdus1wbuSa1FdC3xl5F8r24MNihu85Gv7QIMoEv89qZJ8tyRbdzTTnPuPBxmLEH-BJwwLX8F-vXWZloi5dEFl9g/s1600/Jun+22+2011+037.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1jA2BpJRWRSjUEUPyB8nRvv4X8Dd5YCnOn585eSzoyWUbU_PASZIwdus1wbuSa1FdC3xl5F8r24MNihu85Gv7QIMoEv89qZJ8tyRbdzTTnPuPBxmLEH-BJwwLX8F-vXWZloi5dEFl9g/s1600/Jun+22+2011+037.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1jA2BpJRWRSjUEUPyB8nRvv4X8Dd5YCnOn585eSzoyWUbU_PASZIwdus1wbuSa1FdC3xl5F8r24MNihu85Gv7QIMoEv89qZJ8tyRbdzTTnPuPBxmLEH-BJwwLX8F-vXWZloi5dEFl9g/s320/Jun+22+2011+037.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf86zcbLR_NVQD3IhjayBycoFYagHvd00dc5BLpj3GMHkKa7qFZcXqt2hKHWX8rRqqQrwjcy-1_yInT7YwY_CZXQ6PJAX6muJGRmYRJ42xNI6Bslxsp1U0Ako8zWZGHiD9s0aH6zt4uIE/s1600/Jun+22+2011+019.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf86zcbLR_NVQD3IhjayBycoFYagHvd00dc5BLpj3GMHkKa7qFZcXqt2hKHWX8rRqqQrwjcy-1_yInT7YwY_CZXQ6PJAX6muJGRmYRJ42xNI6Bslxsp1U0Ako8zWZGHiD9s0aH6zt4uIE/s320/Jun+22+2011+019.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
High above the Colorado River, Dead Horse Point (left picture) feels like the south rim of the Grand Canyon. One difference is that on the edge of this mesa, one small step for man becomes one giant leap all the way to the river, two thousand feet below. I walked several miles along the edge of eternity today and regretfully admit that acrophobia (irrational fear of height) is worse now than when I was younger. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyiXvbnpIimSczV7vAVDDPPiG68LbARsB4h3JpfsdqL1IXeLJJDkSqM2wnZ07_nvLXQqWz9HAmb5t_ACDEngTiGTmYkFpTgwwgWSEADFmn4viwlz2bjVk5bWRRHAgY8_YQo7kN2CJuW5M/s1600/Jun+22+2011+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHtn_xjlFttetgbr84BFmkcAJ5G0t_Fi88c3fZ1yE8iaaji9eBqnrbB4HTuLzKBXU3dYywBxqV689goOSFS_ZFl0Hcw7e-8avNycgyVElLFlxNqc_tMIRSZClkRDkHq6WoywkT3mLdcI/s1600/Jun+22+2011+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="Regular"></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyiXvbnpIimSczV7vAVDDPPiG68LbARsB4h3JpfsdqL1IXeLJJDkSqM2wnZ07_nvLXQqWz9HAmb5t_ACDEngTiGTmYkFpTgwwgWSEADFmn4viwlz2bjVk5bWRRHAgY8_YQo7kN2CJuW5M/s1600/Jun+22+2011+008.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyiXvbnpIimSczV7vAVDDPPiG68LbARsB4h3JpfsdqL1IXeLJJDkSqM2wnZ07_nvLXQqWz9HAmb5t_ACDEngTiGTmYkFpTgwwgWSEADFmn4viwlz2bjVk5bWRRHAgY8_YQo7kN2CJuW5M/s320/Jun+22+2011+008.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHtn_xjlFttetgbr84BFmkcAJ5G0t_Fi88c3fZ1yE8iaaji9eBqnrbB4HTuLzKBXU3dYywBxqV689goOSFS_ZFl0Hcw7e-8avNycgyVElLFlxNqc_tMIRSZClkRDkHq6WoywkT3mLdcI/s1600/Jun+22+2011+012.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHtn_xjlFttetgbr84BFmkcAJ5G0t_Fi88c3fZ1yE8iaaji9eBqnrbB4HTuLzKBXU3dYywBxqV689goOSFS_ZFl0Hcw7e-8avNycgyVElLFlxNqc_tMIRSZClkRDkHq6WoywkT3mLdcI/s320/Jun+22+2011+012.jpg" width="238" /></a><br />
This goes against my preached philosophy that risk is less now because I have fewer years to lose. I told myself to go closer to the edge because it’s the right thing to do. My self did not comply. Am I really so much animal that I cannot decide to change? Perhaps by the end of this discourse you will see how I came to deal with dichotomy.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfly6yQF_drIFtAMQQaFp4pU4lanfcYBRhs4JpT5hzGwKPcZtWuJu5_N_p_Q_wnonRwoWNZ-a0nleD6jhXx4BBj8Z7HoWcP0V9bjxnxsjGPi-uvwFhJ7lV2Xa1dLPRwknm1j6iiAJBqw/s1600/Jun+17+2011+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvGHZgIuQ9d3pn5PGjmnF-_m3degstTZKm680ctAELwmzDEJ4Md_ikFxGNa-4fKIlZuysM1LoxRkRrFpNvpGkK-_UWJ4hnVUEoaxZrsM4d8IYfCqx22DSsDNXq63mKYdDh1FVImGX_1I/s1600/Jun+09+2011+023+Penguin.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvGHZgIuQ9d3pn5PGjmnF-_m3degstTZKm680ctAELwmzDEJ4Md_ikFxGNa-4fKIlZuysM1LoxRkRrFpNvpGkK-_UWJ4hnVUEoaxZrsM4d8IYfCqx22DSsDNXq63mKYdDh1FVImGX_1I/s320/Jun+09+2011+023+Penguin.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">A penguin proud and pertly dressed has it all figured out. No inner stress with him, no two ways about it. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfly6yQF_drIFtAMQQaFp4pU4lanfcYBRhs4JpT5hzGwKPcZtWuJu5_N_p_Q_wnonRwoWNZ-a0nleD6jhXx4BBj8Z7HoWcP0V9bjxnxsjGPi-uvwFhJ7lV2Xa1dLPRwknm1j6iiAJBqw/s1600/Jun+17+2011+002.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfly6yQF_drIFtAMQQaFp4pU4lanfcYBRhs4JpT5hzGwKPcZtWuJu5_N_p_Q_wnonRwoWNZ-a0nleD6jhXx4BBj8Z7HoWcP0V9bjxnxsjGPi-uvwFhJ7lV2Xa1dLPRwknm1j6iiAJBqw/s320/Jun+17+2011+002.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Old Man River, like a lot of folks, doesn’t think about it, but just keeps rolling along.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjccevth_RDSuFEUw4vbQJXIVBTul4lavm00pwGTA_2xSU0__kZ-rT-ladjiBSzzKI6jbjp58VuObCZb-uqOfbNqykJaXf2_ydkNO6NLTP7rhyVmWlCR7UcpLQb5mRWQmZiYNBjqNLK3Bk/s1600/Jun+13+2011+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjccevth_RDSuFEUw4vbQJXIVBTul4lavm00pwGTA_2xSU0__kZ-rT-ladjiBSzzKI6jbjp58VuObCZb-uqOfbNqykJaXf2_ydkNO6NLTP7rhyVmWlCR7UcpLQb5mRWQmZiYNBjqNLK3Bk/s320/Jun+13+2011+014.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Delicate, fragile, stunning, just being, beauty without a brain, acting in all ways natural.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFW9Hex7E6JAa-Iab-7Uqqg93fBRobA6DN6PpYxlCZ0nYswrBP7Op5lrqIXARR5iFmDDYMC4cIGMKc1wej4jAqu41m693IDBRwMgCGmAYrlS88OoK9zjIVdyFZfSeGsfeVaU7F_LMPGs/s1600/Jun+14+2011+055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFW9Hex7E6JAa-Iab-7Uqqg93fBRobA6DN6PpYxlCZ0nYswrBP7Op5lrqIXARR5iFmDDYMC4cIGMKc1wej4jAqu41m693IDBRwMgCGmAYrlS88OoK9zjIVdyFZfSeGsfeVaU7F_LMPGs/s320/Jun+14+2011+055.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular">Can it be so hard to see, standing right in front, or is a saltbush blocking the view?</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVeRV2fX6lLhSrY7fRt2FdOhZxJWXWBwE_SaaxeD0n80068geUv4TFNk3iyB5pAuTrV64xoHJX1_gRGc2e96Qz81EUDGQbzs6ARYwwwSQFT6kQKsllmltVF3pBSIuLP5U_nZzoKscmnaw/s1600/Jun+14+2011+093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVeRV2fX6lLhSrY7fRt2FdOhZxJWXWBwE_SaaxeD0n80068geUv4TFNk3iyB5pAuTrV64xoHJX1_gRGc2e96Qz81EUDGQbzs6ARYwwwSQFT6kQKsllmltVF3pBSIuLP5U_nZzoKscmnaw/s320/Jun+14+2011+093.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Are these the writings of intelligence, or are they like the arches?</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmak0T7HaaDljjHSFT2TzszNtO_B7o93rj-DV358O6svQoS6qRGTvkki5FVkslSuihjHfwlgSSUHGvWxmSaAX8f0HsDb8sM_uCazhKaZSNDdrldClkJZLLqFZR_EqAqMerN0xjgyUyb8/s1600/Jun+20+2011+032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmak0T7HaaDljjHSFT2TzszNtO_B7o93rj-DV358O6svQoS6qRGTvkki5FVkslSuihjHfwlgSSUHGvWxmSaAX8f0HsDb8sM_uCazhKaZSNDdrldClkJZLLqFZR_EqAqMerN0xjgyUyb8/s320/Jun+20+2011+032.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Yes, I am listening. I told you I’m listening. Can it be there’s nothing to hear.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvVUxYoemCww9ZYb8firgE1qrmakRca4FxiWvQEoFz29eY9w4QkIGhPaqjlNBv0b_GIDNv-UsZYXtnO1pK04DizioEKOFGvkLjLSkzQluknToJDRAkOa3QNn6idp4VYgY5vI9d0NHUr4/s1600/Jun+22+2011+023+Kath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP9tMpnPnx8A8aE1TF98AZ3H-dx9rxz6UiNmLMYkVbfrB815MFrWvI9645nv6ah5CdQkd1DkMz2MXuf9cR22H9uveZiJ_7c4aG8wQIaIqgt4GWkHaa4nMUKa_Va-IhsWmyZ4VYEwq_RbM/s1600/Jun+22+2011+023+Sharon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP9tMpnPnx8A8aE1TF98AZ3H-dx9rxz6UiNmLMYkVbfrB815MFrWvI9645nv6ah5CdQkd1DkMz2MXuf9cR22H9uveZiJ_7c4aG8wQIaIqgt4GWkHaa4nMUKa_Va-IhsWmyZ4VYEwq_RbM/s320/Jun+22+2011+023+Sharon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvVUxYoemCww9ZYb8firgE1qrmakRca4FxiWvQEoFz29eY9w4QkIGhPaqjlNBv0b_GIDNv-UsZYXtnO1pK04DizioEKOFGvkLjLSkzQluknToJDRAkOa3QNn6idp4VYgY5vI9d0NHUr4/s1600/Jun+22+2011+023+Kath.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvVUxYoemCww9ZYb8firgE1qrmakRca4FxiWvQEoFz29eY9w4QkIGhPaqjlNBv0b_GIDNv-UsZYXtnO1pK04DizioEKOFGvkLjLSkzQluknToJDRAkOa3QNn6idp4VYgY5vI9d0NHUr4/s320/Jun+22+2011+023+Kath.jpg" width="320" /></a>.</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-66381397732447824152011-06-21T15:50:00.000-07:002011-06-21T18:46:31.287-07:00Corona Arch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLJnWEB2l6S_tfPWWu3WgqpyOTJsFq7MYf73NPRsEE5nq7N-yRXyp57PhioP1VMRt-KW_vmbQOstR_7IO-VfIcpBqeuyAICYH11j9OiHE4z-eJllcB1q6JNhMgEn25bmNid6Hds_Jn0U/s1600/Jun+21+2011+024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAO_gEbiOlXq91qXl-eU84FZUjrYY3FkBCkERb8TRqsJynaZGSc5W8lT1ao0V0UaeUWLK2LHOBNSmaMfwYDPi6x0jGBgp6i1LLUnvf50oM9mZWGNwWKjzqiPlujLL2Dg7osdKjL10i6Vk/s1600/Jun+21+2011+007.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAO_gEbiOlXq91qXl-eU84FZUjrYY3FkBCkERb8TRqsJynaZGSc5W8lT1ao0V0UaeUWLK2LHOBNSmaMfwYDPi6x0jGBgp6i1LLUnvf50oM9mZWGNwWKjzqiPlujLL2Dg7osdKjL10i6Vk/s320/Jun+21+2011+007.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn9NGzdVYwz0KnvDnJR_ygW7Aitae_gAasc9_zAvHT9j3-_qWJc44jcn66wgArNCQkemD7D8JS7-ypIUQykJMRCaZMdIn0WRjiQWqx620pTGCi2LDftAr9vVaRdiP4N9LsMNz7PlWyiF4/s1600/Jun+21+2011+009.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn9NGzdVYwz0KnvDnJR_ygW7Aitae_gAasc9_zAvHT9j3-_qWJc44jcn66wgArNCQkemD7D8JS7-ypIUQykJMRCaZMdIn0WRjiQWqx620pTGCi2LDftAr9vVaRdiP4N9LsMNz7PlWyiF4/s1600/Jun+21+2011+009.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn9NGzdVYwz0KnvDnJR_ygW7Aitae_gAasc9_zAvHT9j3-_qWJc44jcn66wgArNCQkemD7D8JS7-ypIUQykJMRCaZMdIn0WRjiQWqx620pTGCi2LDftAr9vVaRdiP4N9LsMNz7PlWyiF4/s320/Jun+21+2011+009.jpg" width="320" /></a>Not all great sermons are delivered in church, and not all great arches are contained in Arches National Park. “Have you seen Corona Arch?” a man said in the Golden Steak Café. Checking my research of arches I found no mention of it. “A woman got all skittish on the slickrock where we had to traverse a perty steep sidehill.”<br />
<br />
I found it less challenging than the Druid Arch Trail, and there I was alone. After today’s scramble up a non-descript canyon about ten miles from Moab on Road 279, I can say that Corona Arch is just as magnificent as any in the national parks. And I did say it. “It’s a local favorite,” he said.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGeSHemdKzn9oOkm-w-kilatw1JrqR6hmgRhVZOL04KWWHbDINZ8ri4TKVHYmef3sRnq4N2SBj8R-S5clmIC45NMIKXqKAZDoqPIW1bnDnCaXolW6qbDGT_4k-OkzEEcSAV10v0DbJYY/s1600/Jun+21+2011+008.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGeSHemdKzn9oOkm-w-kilatw1JrqR6hmgRhVZOL04KWWHbDINZ8ri4TKVHYmef3sRnq4N2SBj8R-S5clmIC45NMIKXqKAZDoqPIW1bnDnCaXolW6qbDGT_4k-OkzEEcSAV10v0DbJYY/s320/Jun+21+2011+008.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLJnWEB2l6S_tfPWWu3WgqpyOTJsFq7MYf73NPRsEE5nq7N-yRXyp57PhioP1VMRt-KW_vmbQOstR_7IO-VfIcpBqeuyAICYH11j9OiHE4z-eJllcB1q6JNhMgEn25bmNid6Hds_Jn0U/s1600/Jun+21+2011+024.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLJnWEB2l6S_tfPWWu3WgqpyOTJsFq7MYf73NPRsEE5nq7N-yRXyp57PhioP1VMRt-KW_vmbQOstR_7IO-VfIcpBqeuyAICYH11j9OiHE4z-eJllcB1q6JNhMgEn25bmNid6Hds_Jn0U/s320/Jun+21+2011+024.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Shadow of the arch, and looking straight up at it.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4EtfrU7F2-RDquD6OszLqQVfnmgdfLP5kChyXd2KyUhu9J08r5-FIB5mzEXA4MxNdZ3LZfUOx1SePsVfXuMDpzlAzrClL5KiHVUTKAaDLq8m_q4s2iRhbkLeXSt5JLteGEYOose0FcDM/s1600/Jun+21+2011+036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tOOSsgQSc0VRrbbE9t1k8V7QuOuif_h0DFa-o9BpVoVBl-u7eTsT4ACbRUp4fmlQaf6qMX9AvOKoPi8b5FgHnK2B77kl9WXL1ZQbS3qLS25qwKs8gJBVuiprFtXPQOEfRLoHDCKdrsE/s1600/Jun+21+2011+042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3kawLG116p_h_IvXdZAkOuFhdC3QOwVABuYYBwnFHBgn4zG1Ga7lSRwXxx6acnOYFquKavvE69mQDmOToKTT03l1mbU0wagaNcCtTfa7LbkrgpYsRdKChUDbqA78RkeKAwENf52eAH0/s1600/Jun+21+2011+043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJAJtGMsFRYF2jur51UOpgxl6S8R2txkxlzf1tVZXuaxxl_GadOE8vbmqq9imbZXKv6NRo9QLFcMcuhQrTWbBfsOLxu-P93sjZNpR4tGPFoiWM9TYwJh4w5jBBLgu2p42TTlOuqIPGKE/s1600/Jun+21+2011+032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOC_kCRjsj7fzJ9M4vC4m9UuVo96Qm8bgdId7YfUyKRDGwHzrSTGdYS_XBbNGC1mBnsVuZB_Kyyu1P7XLHJP6vW3rFOU17c5072Ri7WyEa61GmXQtVo8L4FPxBbzmbdHDnQahhJGrxBG8/s1600/Jun+21+2011+033.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOC_kCRjsj7fzJ9M4vC4m9UuVo96Qm8bgdId7YfUyKRDGwHzrSTGdYS_XBbNGC1mBnsVuZB_Kyyu1P7XLHJP6vW3rFOU17c5072Ri7WyEa61GmXQtVo8L4FPxBbzmbdHDnQahhJGrxBG8/s640/Jun+21+2011+033.jpg" width="640" /></a>.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJAJtGMsFRYF2jur51UOpgxl6S8R2txkxlzf1tVZXuaxxl_GadOE8vbmqq9imbZXKv6NRo9QLFcMcuhQrTWbBfsOLxu-P93sjZNpR4tGPFoiWM9TYwJh4w5jBBLgu2p42TTlOuqIPGKE/s1600/Jun+21+2011+032.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJAJtGMsFRYF2jur51UOpgxl6S8R2txkxlzf1tVZXuaxxl_GadOE8vbmqq9imbZXKv6NRo9QLFcMcuhQrTWbBfsOLxu-P93sjZNpR4tGPFoiWM9TYwJh4w5jBBLgu2p42TTlOuqIPGKE/s320/Jun+21+2011+032.jpg" width="238" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3kawLG116p_h_IvXdZAkOuFhdC3QOwVABuYYBwnFHBgn4zG1Ga7lSRwXxx6acnOYFquKavvE69mQDmOToKTT03l1mbU0wagaNcCtTfa7LbkrgpYsRdKChUDbqA78RkeKAwENf52eAH0/s1600/Jun+21+2011+043.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3kawLG116p_h_IvXdZAkOuFhdC3QOwVABuYYBwnFHBgn4zG1Ga7lSRwXxx6acnOYFquKavvE69mQDmOToKTT03l1mbU0wagaNcCtTfa7LbkrgpYsRdKChUDbqA78RkeKAwENf52eAH0/s320/Jun+21+2011+043.jpg" width="320" /></a>I imagine him like William Granstaff who came here in 1877, one of the first non-native inhabitants of the region. There’s a deep canyon that feeds into the Colorado River off Road 128, and it’s named after him—Negro Bill Canyon—impolite as the name seems today. Two miles up along clear water, a sandstone gorge is a sight unimaginable unless you’ve lived here fourteen days as I have. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tOOSsgQSc0VRrbbE9t1k8V7QuOuif_h0DFa-o9BpVoVBl-u7eTsT4ACbRUp4fmlQaf6qMX9AvOKoPi8b5FgHnK2B77kl9WXL1ZQbS3qLS25qwKs8gJBVuiprFtXPQOEfRLoHDCKdrsE/s1600/Jun+21+2011+042.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tOOSsgQSc0VRrbbE9t1k8V7QuOuif_h0DFa-o9BpVoVBl-u7eTsT4ACbRUp4fmlQaf6qMX9AvOKoPi8b5FgHnK2B77kl9WXL1ZQbS3qLS25qwKs8gJBVuiprFtXPQOEfRLoHDCKdrsE/s320/Jun+21+2011+042.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4EtfrU7F2-RDquD6OszLqQVfnmgdfLP5kChyXd2KyUhu9J08r5-FIB5mzEXA4MxNdZ3LZfUOx1SePsVfXuMDpzlAzrClL5KiHVUTKAaDLq8m_q4s2iRhbkLeXSt5JLteGEYOose0FcDM/s1600/Jun+21+2011+036.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4EtfrU7F2-RDquD6OszLqQVfnmgdfLP5kChyXd2KyUhu9J08r5-FIB5mzEXA4MxNdZ3LZfUOx1SePsVfXuMDpzlAzrClL5KiHVUTKAaDLq8m_q4s2iRhbkLeXSt5JLteGEYOose0FcDM/s320/Jun+21+2011+036.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
They call it Morning Glory Bridge. At 243 feet long, it’s one of the longest. Set at the head of a canyon, I look up at its massively heavy rock and ask why? How? </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-88256764582969556582011-06-20T17:17:00.000-07:002011-06-20T17:19:47.896-07:00Stones in Lovely Places<div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLx8ESBc0MG-tUxEongHcP1VW843K1e0hH0OvWdK88afZLVCn4uDd3eygoQvAJYytluL6bv06vPNzbNCy-sQDU7Bojc14qIT0qGvUi9l2xKjIRX2JBIt7yXibfopOhKesxYWiBscEbhc/s1600/Jun+20+2011+053.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLx8ESBc0MG-tUxEongHcP1VW843K1e0hH0OvWdK88afZLVCn4uDd3eygoQvAJYytluL6bv06vPNzbNCy-sQDU7Bojc14qIT0qGvUi9l2xKjIRX2JBIt7yXibfopOhKesxYWiBscEbhc/s320/Jun+20+2011+053.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">attracted to deliberate form</div><div class="Regular">where intent is clear and pleasant </div><div class="Regular">even if not understood</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidb43X77Wzg-1wvDGF7kaRzbr-8MNHowNLiXLvdqgDk4c4-X0wUpxfUNHpSBIOekvZg9uhjY7DPcJWcmZsG5g0726vQeQpIAY7D924CLbaEZqyGDvKiY0bKfR0y-MMEJcT-bDh3qtly1s/s1600/Jun+20+2011+054.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidb43X77Wzg-1wvDGF7kaRzbr-8MNHowNLiXLvdqgDk4c4-X0wUpxfUNHpSBIOekvZg9uhjY7DPcJWcmZsG5g0726vQeQpIAY7D924CLbaEZqyGDvKiY0bKfR0y-MMEJcT-bDh3qtly1s/s320/Jun+20+2011+054.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">closer I walk to lovely form</div><div class="Regular">looking for clues</div><div class="Regular">an architect’s voice</div><div class="Regular">meaning evades my mind</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91Jv9DvqXcYbTF22KUOzceGAjOip4GP8RU78gPEollFWw96FLBMnNoIeAALPnXHThm1s62q1PKLz9qZSbaW4H2gVORseqGUbTrEixJ_-wt3a1vJxTA8Qv7K8f1KwJqq9Hb9puhLOuWnw/s1600/Jun+20+2011+055.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91Jv9DvqXcYbTF22KUOzceGAjOip4GP8RU78gPEollFWw96FLBMnNoIeAALPnXHThm1s62q1PKLz9qZSbaW4H2gVORseqGUbTrEixJ_-wt3a1vJxTA8Qv7K8f1KwJqq9Hb9puhLOuWnw/s320/Jun+20+2011+055.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">words constructed heightwise</div><div class="Regular">hung with hooks and bait</div><div class="Regular">they lure, but not for hurt</div><div class="Regular">rocks of pleasure</div><div class="Regular">drawing closer</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9TuGDoqZx4_mDBSMHvsZFYJv9ziCGISqBobu2r7Toqr2e50lFRr4lqNaCDMdYk2WlNdCV_XfYDPcQvqmnOJvNY-BVgEpggSGMjWSsLolprshuOF0KGwPs3_hzrcZYkWrQdhnTrQKQMo/s1600/Jun+20+2011+057.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9TuGDoqZx4_mDBSMHvsZFYJv9ziCGISqBobu2r7Toqr2e50lFRr4lqNaCDMdYk2WlNdCV_XfYDPcQvqmnOJvNY-BVgEpggSGMjWSsLolprshuOF0KGwPs3_hzrcZYkWrQdhnTrQKQMo/s320/Jun+20+2011+057.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">a rocky way</div><div class="Regular">solid as rock</div><div class="Regular">I crave a lacking verb</div><div class="Regular">regret a vulgar nit</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXPtoPEgN-sHi8ZDklkQlXx83L1ED_oLYf2KPeC3qgNEueXny8MrRZEJ1zoWeV8nVBlmOtuCrLMXo3ErP280T5uVhKte-EIoD-btcNhliDYxNwd7oQwapl0FkfOFRTh0l0oCzELNsZqU/s1600/Jun+20+2011+059.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXPtoPEgN-sHi8ZDklkQlXx83L1ED_oLYf2KPeC3qgNEueXny8MrRZEJ1zoWeV8nVBlmOtuCrLMXo3ErP280T5uVhKte-EIoD-btcNhliDYxNwd7oQwapl0FkfOFRTh0l0oCzELNsZqU/s320/Jun+20+2011+059.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">stones appeal</div><div class="Regular">in how they’re placed</div><div class="Regular">just by watching</div><div class="Regular">I’m walking closer</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0V-uJA1sdV6m-0_Qud-9Zj22FjHoHTi8TccGPcx6-qrnTtk8-4YHpcD7xo98b2FXHGwVs0orflX3qU57yoRPdZiNdloRWptRcuqszJEXWWmCqffz6yFL4IQQqhOI9rYLd2b8JRIRGjLY/s1600/Jun+20+2011+060.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0V-uJA1sdV6m-0_Qud-9Zj22FjHoHTi8TccGPcx6-qrnTtk8-4YHpcD7xo98b2FXHGwVs0orflX3qU57yoRPdZiNdloRWptRcuqszJEXWWmCqffz6yFL4IQQqhOI9rYLd2b8JRIRGjLY/s320/Jun+20+2011+060.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
see the arches</div><div class="Regular">see the beams</div><div class="Regular">how they please</div><div class="Regular">how unlike words misguided</div><div class="Regular">revolting to a reader</div><div class="Regular">the devil’s garden</div><div class="Regular">from which they came</div><div class="Regular">and where they go</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-33036074706673913472011-06-19T15:23:00.000-07:002011-06-19T15:25:39.550-07:00Juniper<div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuMcrq806PQWpQBGBdPqZNwtOHekgAXU-lvCAyf0vNEiEpQxnwxAQQkfmoH8rkPt0xMZE-Y37LoVY5q51q4ai4BAazlt7AQ6fTTD-L_Kiy89TZ3krWbPbrJq65CQCCaZ1RwCHNTjusHjw/s1600/Jun+14+2011+077.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuMcrq806PQWpQBGBdPqZNwtOHekgAXU-lvCAyf0vNEiEpQxnwxAQQkfmoH8rkPt0xMZE-Y37LoVY5q51q4ai4BAazlt7AQ6fTTD-L_Kiy89TZ3krWbPbrJq65CQCCaZ1RwCHNTjusHjw/s320/Jun+14+2011+077.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQsK2UrM8ffJA5wA2MunZ-IUusHB5q4VZ2K8X5Fv8LBN5SvxNZRI2mnogh0pQjiMds7JloYE7trfH3DaYyWBwVqeCp17bm6x_8L0vPm5muOWA9w6FLihGLrc3v8wLqA7_dotpnoXeCAY/s1600/Jun+14+2011+079.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQsK2UrM8ffJA5wA2MunZ-IUusHB5q4VZ2K8X5Fv8LBN5SvxNZRI2mnogh0pQjiMds7JloYE7trfH3DaYyWBwVqeCp17bm6x_8L0vPm5muOWA9w6FLihGLrc3v8wLqA7_dotpnoXeCAY/s320/Jun+14+2011+079.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular">Most of the trees around here are juniper and most of the animals are people. We share some common traits, one of which, unlike most trees, is that sexes are separate with individuals. Female junipers grow berrylike cones that bear seeds. Male cones look similar, but they make pollen, not seeds. The juniper pictured above is female. A large husky male is pictured below. Actually, either sex can grow old, rustic, and shaggy.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bTdp2ql1u2W5ptPQhZ8XX_IwTBznWesK3Da1KQL3PEExTdHlsPEQEu7ndPOQqMWpD8Vpb5jCc4ogxSXdw3YHi_ep-6nmzMSKyTjeqPFxIb-w2eK12lw3SspPErmKONTGNGNIinuSC4k/s1600/Jun+14+2011+096.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bTdp2ql1u2W5ptPQhZ8XX_IwTBznWesK3Da1KQL3PEExTdHlsPEQEu7ndPOQqMWpD8Vpb5jCc4ogxSXdw3YHi_ep-6nmzMSKyTjeqPFxIb-w2eK12lw3SspPErmKONTGNGNIinuSC4k/s320/Jun+14+2011+096.jpg" width="320" /></a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div><div class="Regular">I walked to the Golden Steak Restaurant this Sunday morning under a gray and boiling sky. Winds shifted around me, moody and undecided. I had dressed in one of the three street dresses I’d brought and stood regarding myself in the mirror. Something had been lost out of those quiet eyes and into their vision some deeper color come. Something had been gained forever—something lost.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">I sat at the counter, a third of it already occupied with local men. A few tourists sat at the tables. Two counters face each other across a walkway where a waitress moves between. She’s like a train between boarding platforms, serving eggs and smiles as she passes by. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Across the walkway from me sits a man in a brown leather vest and white beard with gray roots. His face is furrowed like the plowed field of my Tennessee garden. His big hands, like my father’s are rough and cracked. I look in his face, perhaps to read at second hand the shapes of the roads that had led him to this place. I cast a smile in his direction. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">I am not unaware of the image portrayed by a woman alone in a local bar or cafe. It’s usually easy to see skepticism rise up in his conversation. “Visiting from California,” she says. Yeah, sure. Such assumptions are part of the risk I take. They give rise to strategies for avoidance.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">We talk across the gap. He asks about the long black feather sticking up from the book I’m reading. “Hawk, I think. Found it on the walk here.”</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">“Mind if I come around,” he says. I restrain a puppy instinct to get all excited, and give just a small smile. I move my purse from the space at my right.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">He smells of leather and linseed oil. Outside, the wind turns, undecided, marking its path with uplifted white seeds from cottonwood trees, puffy and reminiscent of snow in the winds of Frostbite Falls.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLvL23EpIIiDOCScv9bseZ7svP6CBtqrb95pK8CY_bAd5-8dIcpl8tmc1JKk_3bOSrvE7JP9iXezOMuDh58da5GgOSfKwm06wj6TTIe3xMsQXMEp5FDG7QbBp8HROjkXuL9XtmdcwVIs/s1600/Jun+14+2011+019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLvL23EpIIiDOCScv9bseZ7svP6CBtqrb95pK8CY_bAd5-8dIcpl8tmc1JKk_3bOSrvE7JP9iXezOMuDh58da5GgOSfKwm06wj6TTIe3xMsQXMEp5FDG7QbBp8HROjkXuL9XtmdcwVIs/s1600/Jun+14+2011+019.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLvL23EpIIiDOCScv9bseZ7svP6CBtqrb95pK8CY_bAd5-8dIcpl8tmc1JKk_3bOSrvE7JP9iXezOMuDh58da5GgOSfKwm06wj6TTIe3xMsQXMEp5FDG7QbBp8HROjkXuL9XtmdcwVIs/s320/Jun+14+2011+019.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
There is always this thin, wordless idea that maybe this might work. I was fairly successful in keeping my mind from racing around him. I was almost peaceful, and felt like saying, “I’ve been destroyed two or three times already. You wouldn’t want to destroy me again, would you?” </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">“I’m goin’ up to the community church later,” he says, as if he doubts the Southern California woman could possibly understand. I hadn’t preached Possibilism to him yet. I’ll keep you posted. Maybe.</div> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-39727884909922001292011-06-18T15:55:00.000-07:002011-06-18T16:14:38.461-07:00Courthouse Wash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HB0PJGN6meiD1d_2AF-MVRVKVwh1cmZtB_2ZIotR1FEritBzcZB5jI6bMiqJNNigV6kKcea8Tm4_KUjUDRpaGNU_jzhYHXixF7sOKx2TPx8J402NpyKNKTHvlR1kimxBR04q3-hs6p4/s1600/Jun+18+2011+013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjES49NrrAWCCmF4PfcZompiOp03ocWiU94NzYwffh4-eVskaVjoIorKtouFKAaUxj6WM2UiHUXxVxMElxXQWaBh98ToZlXH5GBaFXjJgOjwZnEFf40gDZHi3ZCi8vY4-oNNNt1M3Jjgn8/s1600/Jun+18+2011+008.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjES49NrrAWCCmF4PfcZompiOp03ocWiU94NzYwffh4-eVskaVjoIorKtouFKAaUxj6WM2UiHUXxVxMElxXQWaBh98ToZlXH5GBaFXjJgOjwZnEFf40gDZHi3ZCi8vY4-oNNNt1M3Jjgn8/s320/Jun+18+2011+008.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Colorado River passes just north of Moab, sliding across the state line at about ten miles per hour with snowmelt from the Colorado Rockies. Last winter, twice as much snow fell as usual, and June has been an extra-warm month so far. The Colorado had little choice but to spill over its banks and impolitely flood the campgrounds along its shores with muddy water, brown and red as bean soup. But even with its massive flow, the Colorado does not water the desert through which it passes. Just a hundred feet from its shore, the desert prevails in all its dryness.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnT_1UI3OfYYNrmLuGCxdSDyRVNPNplVDzKu0tLoM6u-CAWBsH2OY-pThq_Ql8sl_ZWkaybU3N3Mr1z_x4E0PfN3dTWlRtEZFLKo14VJk79KYR-wGYoUWi_yGzCoBZRLo73qJlugB_3Uo/s1600/Jun+18+2011+031.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnT_1UI3OfYYNrmLuGCxdSDyRVNPNplVDzKu0tLoM6u-CAWBsH2OY-pThq_Ql8sl_ZWkaybU3N3Mr1z_x4E0PfN3dTWlRtEZFLKo14VJk79KYR-wGYoUWi_yGzCoBZRLo73qJlugB_3Uo/s320/Jun+18+2011+031.jpg" width="320" /></a>Feeding into the Colorado, a usually-dry wash flows from the north, just outside of Moab. Edward Abby spent time here herding cattle back in the sixties and writes it in his book, Desert Solitaire. He and two other cowboys started on horseback in Arches National Park and worked down the wash gathering cattle that had grazed there all summer, held in by the vertical walls of the canyon and its tributaries, driving them to Moab. Cattle are excluded today, so I expected the grass and bushes to have grown dense and maybe difficult to get through. There is no trail, but I figure that vegetation permitting, I can go anywhere a cow can.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">The Colorado River backs up into Courthouse Wash during high water, but its level has dropped about six feet from the peak a few days ago, and I figured it might be low enough to free Courthouse Wash of backwater.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXTLmPPRQ832NjrX1uW_2GAlMHkFqs096shC-ajIRpaq03CQsTHr9VSwUfgPJWWhc7z5xpN1-4xTNrmC-l3q84x2gYs2OAFkSYeuUny6JgZEZ1aW03HoU5Z2r4q4vYz2rVBc5_SKgLbc0/s1600/Jun+18+2011+001.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXTLmPPRQ832NjrX1uW_2GAlMHkFqs096shC-ajIRpaq03CQsTHr9VSwUfgPJWWhc7z5xpN1-4xTNrmC-l3q84x2gYs2OAFkSYeuUny6JgZEZ1aW03HoU5Z2r4q4vYz2rVBc5_SKgLbc0/s320/Jun+18+2011+001.jpg" width="320" /></a>I drove to the place in Arches where Abbey and his friends started the cattle drive and left my bicycle there, locked onto a sign post. Then I drove back to the Colorado River and started walking up Courthouse Wash. Backup water from the Colorado was deep at the start, but I was able to get around it along the side. After half a mile, I was nearly past it when I came to this lovely setting, and knew that a cow would have sloshed through the waist deep water where I was unwilling. Discouraged, I returned to the car, drove back to the bike, and began from the upper end.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7ch1HceYh01ajjlSIfTJ0VvqS1nWK8FpwlSgWI6w-gyZTCNVPrLQSVBNLglzf-8T116aubMQmOnRN4OSLozt-D3qhHs1_iFM0pJJrQsFv3FUWZkkwi-rseFas7uaXTQTHkfaFBL9gf0/s1600/Jun+18+2011+040.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7ch1HceYh01ajjlSIfTJ0VvqS1nWK8FpwlSgWI6w-gyZTCNVPrLQSVBNLglzf-8T116aubMQmOnRN4OSLozt-D3qhHs1_iFM0pJJrQsFv3FUWZkkwi-rseFas7uaXTQTHkfaFBL9gf0/s320/Jun+18+2011+040.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HB0PJGN6meiD1d_2AF-MVRVKVwh1cmZtB_2ZIotR1FEritBzcZB5jI6bMiqJNNigV6kKcea8Tm4_KUjUDRpaGNU_jzhYHXixF7sOKx2TPx8J402NpyKNKTHvlR1kimxBR04q3-hs6p4/s1600/Jun+18+2011+013.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HB0PJGN6meiD1d_2AF-MVRVKVwh1cmZtB_2ZIotR1FEritBzcZB5jI6bMiqJNNigV6kKcea8Tm4_KUjUDRpaGNU_jzhYHXixF7sOKx2TPx8J402NpyKNKTHvlR1kimxBR04q3-hs6p4/s320/Jun+18+2011+013.jpg" width="227" /></a>Tall grass and bushes surely did slow my progress, but never stopped it. And now I was much too far upstream to encounter backwater. See here the high water marks, not from Colorado backup, but from a raging flash flood that thundered through here some time past.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWda_ta8f0mETmzfC_oSlkdAczErLpyorijk7xsBX1lacrz8NTiOHmUz8AxerCLkSLClut32XFIJ72KS13I_4i8Kmh_vM_QqsWPUpfsjP9F7h813d_z4yslfTeajFQEVHwDvLCdNucqZw/s1600/Jun+18+2011+019.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWda_ta8f0mETmzfC_oSlkdAczErLpyorijk7xsBX1lacrz8NTiOHmUz8AxerCLkSLClut32XFIJ72KS13I_4i8Kmh_vM_QqsWPUpfsjP9F7h813d_z4yslfTeajFQEVHwDvLCdNucqZw/s320/Jun+18+2011+019.jpg" width="238" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EfK2rLmuUrwjyKn5Fkr3PyIT8zai_79sXgv1Gs_XMY1JIKdyLG-rQmbEfuxZMABYsUSFWvHyu-tNfZhu6DEZcnFvyl0PiU9llvn607bP0bDRCkF9WUzN4Ez45EJJIzmd6VhkUY_J5gQ/s1600/Jun+18+2011+024.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EfK2rLmuUrwjyKn5Fkr3PyIT8zai_79sXgv1Gs_XMY1JIKdyLG-rQmbEfuxZMABYsUSFWvHyu-tNfZhu6DEZcnFvyl0PiU9llvn607bP0bDRCkF9WUzN4Ez45EJJIzmd6VhkUY_J5gQ/s320/Jun+18+2011+024.jpg" width="238" /></a><br />
<br />
I came to the first big side canyon entering from the north and decided to explore it. Abbey would have done this to see if any cattle had gone up there. The canyon narrowed, walls closing in, but I walked easily on its sandy bottom. Suddenly, it ended at a shear wall that no cow or cowboy could scale.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtlGN00kGKCJpmJtLOu_xtq7Feddtpdn55tjTbvsMbZOCS32tgTaKh3IjQdYRVGno56aGEVySaBaCJRteBMmhQgYpaZ4dw28NVPgMS55eNbu0Q92SPSpPYWFDQlPuzMJdjw14KgHKIJM/s1600/Jun+18+2011+030.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtlGN00kGKCJpmJtLOu_xtq7Feddtpdn55tjTbvsMbZOCS32tgTaKh3IjQdYRVGno56aGEVySaBaCJRteBMmhQgYpaZ4dw28NVPgMS55eNbu0Q92SPSpPYWFDQlPuzMJdjw14KgHKIJM/s320/Jun+18+2011+030.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZCnFgSMP1lD-svX_UaKjRakXw-8r0PHuNYolvSdExLnMnB9L5D0OHlZmxZpSdQpN4NcgZ4w-gvWClnXyyHO9zeA_4_3j6cRFJ4HKcFwJhzWUdnKHBtPs4SBTRZx3gRwHkuwd_YihWAY/s1600/Jun+18+2011+027.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZCnFgSMP1lD-svX_UaKjRakXw-8r0PHuNYolvSdExLnMnB9L5D0OHlZmxZpSdQpN4NcgZ4w-gvWClnXyyHO9zeA_4_3j6cRFJ4HKcFwJhzWUdnKHBtPs4SBTRZx3gRwHkuwd_YihWAY/s320/Jun+18+2011+027.jpg" width="320" /></a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXTLmPPRQ832NjrX1uW_2GAlMHkFqs096shC-ajIRpaq03CQsTHr9VSwUfgPJWWhc7z5xpN1-4xTNrmC-l3q84x2gYs2OAFkSYeuUny6JgZEZ1aW03HoU5Z2r4q4vYz2rVBc5_SKgLbc0/s1600/Jun+18+2011+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDn5G8BDk0p5JWfPtFDuJARaxzmb5YPYFFolCzJ757VxEQy8veaCOkip8MyWI-Lh6HwiCCkBdxAzXIEFdhewHxVXMzgt6ArtoijT1KF8SP41VubfQhw_FNNoarj8EdOgfVN73CCUZ7J4/s1600/Jun+18+2011+034.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDn5G8BDk0p5JWfPtFDuJARaxzmb5YPYFFolCzJ757VxEQy8veaCOkip8MyWI-Lh6HwiCCkBdxAzXIEFdhewHxVXMzgt6ArtoijT1KF8SP41VubfQhw_FNNoarj8EdOgfVN73CCUZ7J4/s320/Jun+18+2011+034.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-U-rlvksXlxYayyGZm3oaUBwJK3SUQkC8J-LEUqwbICf0B1ZzSztFbdvm_GZRaXmBVhKcCCmiM6iWCf_LTLkl_OSgKu1RIGmW-yR65S32n30UkRHf7Nk4y_to29PmIiB8Q2Z_XlxqE0/s1600/Jun+18+2011+035.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-U-rlvksXlxYayyGZm3oaUBwJK3SUQkC8J-LEUqwbICf0B1ZzSztFbdvm_GZRaXmBVhKcCCmiM6iWCf_LTLkl_OSgKu1RIGmW-yR65S32n30UkRHf7Nk4y_to29PmIiB8Q2Z_XlxqE0/s320/Jun+18+2011+035.jpg" width="238" /></a><br />
Returning to Courthouse Wash, I followed it down past several wide curves until the day got hot. I turned around and came back to the bike and car.</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-4586505225833699172011-06-17T14:38:00.000-07:002011-06-17T17:18:06.620-07:00Running Away<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwwb_tdYFNnNGf_uDGsGIlpsucxVLtnOkp2WkcmFbr_HBfFdfelP0VM0majdtqF1iy6Xj0PcQypMQtg-6pFO1EcCSlKdkg7T2MUk63Ocyvo02nJSmZI7_bB1QF3bO2DGbZVJ_hsaGDsmg/s1600/Jun+16+2011+051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzybc8h8Y3GtreWagCUCm-limS7TvPByNQufwWAxcxSno4HXKtFX46PZzcQPhu-RLz_8CvV06lX6oSgDjHQLq0ku2HU27VHNrIu3GTSigs5d48AoQU9j0XPtxzqpIYzzZHEsjXNl9Qnw/s1600/Jun+16+2011+069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwwb_tdYFNnNGf_uDGsGIlpsucxVLtnOkp2WkcmFbr_HBfFdfelP0VM0majdtqF1iy6Xj0PcQypMQtg-6pFO1EcCSlKdkg7T2MUk63Ocyvo02nJSmZI7_bB1QF3bO2DGbZVJ_hsaGDsmg/s1600/Jun+16+2011+051.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwwb_tdYFNnNGf_uDGsGIlpsucxVLtnOkp2WkcmFbr_HBfFdfelP0VM0majdtqF1iy6Xj0PcQypMQtg-6pFO1EcCSlKdkg7T2MUk63Ocyvo02nJSmZI7_bB1QF3bO2DGbZVJ_hsaGDsmg/s320/Jun+16+2011+051.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyMnlx1gkjdJ46ZoJu5m-rsAFlvGXN5hhhFBF3qwch3Z_j2gDdHAyFy01Z1kTFwsWDroJK99t7Rjh_-u_j7eolqD0EdCIs7pdsvalMUIG5QaotudaGGoXVqMscIByGdR8LWoMgmBq5sYk/s1600/Jun+16+2011+060.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyMnlx1gkjdJ46ZoJu5m-rsAFlvGXN5hhhFBF3qwch3Z_j2gDdHAyFy01Z1kTFwsWDroJK99t7Rjh_-u_j7eolqD0EdCIs7pdsvalMUIG5QaotudaGGoXVqMscIByGdR8LWoMgmBq5sYk/s320/Jun+16+2011+060.jpg" width="238" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Yesterday, I drove into the northern section of Canyonlands National Park, called Islands in the Sky. It’s completely disconnected by any road or trail from the southern section, called The Needles, where you may recall my exultation at Druid Arch. After visiting Mesa Arch at sunrise, I escaped the oncoming herd of visitors and drove to a trailhead where the sign reads, “Syncline Loop Trail, 8.4 miles, Primitive Trail, Difficult to follow, Scrambling required, Experienced hikers only.” The map shows it as a near circular loop that drops off a mesa, which is rather like an island raised high into the sky, falls some fifteen hundred feet and after following a canyon, climbs back up again. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHu9iTRzLQD6N5W99JOiBU9k2tg8mklencElG7gAmGrmanblPXh3KjwUto9yIDlUtVuBrqwIkYwb5vc39b-SM7T2EpFGtLb6WiijPDhv0q1o19mXBkxr1J1BCr5WQ44ggrQzGKQDhfzI/s1600/Jun+16+2011+056.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHu9iTRzLQD6N5W99JOiBU9k2tg8mklencElG7gAmGrmanblPXh3KjwUto9yIDlUtVuBrqwIkYwb5vc39b-SM7T2EpFGtLb6WiijPDhv0q1o19mXBkxr1J1BCr5WQ44ggrQzGKQDhfzI/s320/Jun+16+2011+056.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHu9iTRzLQD6N5W99JOiBU9k2tg8mklencElG7gAmGrmanblPXh3KjwUto9yIDlUtVuBrqwIkYwb5vc39b-SM7T2EpFGtLb6WiijPDhv0q1o19mXBkxr1J1BCr5WQ44ggrQzGKQDhfzI/s1600/Jun+16+2011+056.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHu9iTRzLQD6N5W99JOiBU9k2tg8mklencElG7gAmGrmanblPXh3KjwUto9yIDlUtVuBrqwIkYwb5vc39b-SM7T2EpFGtLb6WiijPDhv0q1o19mXBkxr1J1BCr5WQ44ggrQzGKQDhfzI/s320/Jun+16+2011+056.jpg" width="320" /></a>From the mesa rim I gaze down on soaring birds as they ride the morning thermals. On the way down I see white streaks staining the red sandstone cliffs below the holes where they nest. Now they look down at me. And as I near the dry wash, where cottonwood trees find water underground, soaring mosquitoes find me pleasant company. Until I spray on deet. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4P2SuNFLJOGrWRkAoHnJtHhfjKnRuRLP2iBsGSYcxanIGWDRQ4OZuleGuQRpOFpcQl1oEdBcOFF416qYjLXzbaEgETicQaiNSwO6aikEzjggz53mhEDHTNNfyff96WhvO7FLj4j-nto/s1600/Jun+16+2011+057.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4P2SuNFLJOGrWRkAoHnJtHhfjKnRuRLP2iBsGSYcxanIGWDRQ4OZuleGuQRpOFpcQl1oEdBcOFF416qYjLXzbaEgETicQaiNSwO6aikEzjggz53mhEDHTNNfyff96WhvO7FLj4j-nto/s320/Jun+16+2011+057.jpg" width="238" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLd8bTARCC2d9m71dSRyHB8ckJTYUuR4hBvrU3nPJvVgchuBSa0aINwQcsL9AH-wSZcLbwGOhcU0WPdhjuyNzcUKu2r177Lyaipc7Q3qQGgFjjiLd249JZ0IhrRzrVkoV6kGAgMePpZo/s1600/Jun+16+2011+063.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLd8bTARCC2d9m71dSRyHB8ckJTYUuR4hBvrU3nPJvVgchuBSa0aINwQcsL9AH-wSZcLbwGOhcU0WPdhjuyNzcUKu2r177Lyaipc7Q3qQGgFjjiLd249JZ0IhrRzrVkoV6kGAgMePpZo/s320/Jun+16+2011+063.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
I find a pool of water in the mostly-dry canyon and green herbs along a pleasant trail. We might call this oversized dandelion a weed back home, a pest in our lawns, but here it carries a symmetrical beauty. (Do you know that you can click on any picture to make it bigger?)</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Tsc_eQuN9oadAwgcCQ_Ij62XDfSv1xvHaUavi8vt_Ebe3MMCj5Jv6soL6eMmx6pvJn7axode5WddwuJU28tEzNd5d2rmC2wtai7MTstxn2PUVT4-BTkkPAvg5styNUxIE4m4RsVlt30/s1600/Jun+16+2011+062.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Tsc_eQuN9oadAwgcCQ_Ij62XDfSv1xvHaUavi8vt_Ebe3MMCj5Jv6soL6eMmx6pvJn7axode5WddwuJU28tEzNd5d2rmC2wtai7MTstxn2PUVT4-BTkkPAvg5styNUxIE4m4RsVlt30/s320/Jun+16+2011+062.jpg" width="238" /></a><br />
<br />
The canyon becomes a box with shear wall on three sides. Pleasant walking becomes rock scrambling. The cairns point up a steep fan of broken boulders, and I find a way somehow from cairn to cairn. </div><div class="Regular"></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Finally, the way flattens in another wash, and the sky speaks of a coming storm. Far away, I hear the mutter of thunder. Clouds pile up like whipped cream, like mashed potatoes, but I can’t see what’s coming from down here in the canyon. I have never seen a flash flood, but some time I want to. I am told that it looks like a loose pudding or thick soup, dense with mud, sand and rock. But when the only way out is to keep hiking up this draw, I’d rather it not be today.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzybc8h8Y3GtreWagCUCm-limS7TvPByNQufwWAxcxSno4HXKtFX46PZzcQPhu-RLz_8CvV06lX6oSgDjHQLq0ku2HU27VHNrIu3GTSigs5d48AoQU9j0XPtxzqpIYzzZHEsjXNl9Qnw/s1600/Jun+16+2011+069.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzybc8h8Y3GtreWagCUCm-limS7TvPByNQufwWAxcxSno4HXKtFX46PZzcQPhu-RLz_8CvV06lX6oSgDjHQLq0ku2HU27VHNrIu3GTSigs5d48AoQU9j0XPtxzqpIYzzZHEsjXNl9Qnw/s320/Jun+16+2011+069.jpg" width="320" /></a>Only when I reach the rim on the mesa, can I see the wine-dark storm in its fullness. An isolated storm boiling over the desert. I see faint traces of lightning, but the distance is so great I cannot hear the thunder. Lavender clouds bombard the earth with lightning and trailing curtains of rain. Driving back to Moab, raindrops spatter the car like pellets. Rain diminishes to a shower, to a sprinkle, to nothing.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUZzyv4ZxWtEmxvpIba58U5idDn_hyphenhyphenMZpOBBY0Ued7n103mtlmOgbolDvJY_H67zGJexuCv-smsJMwPgs_MwSTWAaT9HYteQ0hPD1lo0JvaWUZBZeHUghBT0M54LNKFbzXyKQu6BAaO6Q/s1600/Jun+14+2011+019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEwlZw2E1TS6W-bRL84VrBUflsw3ru9PRb-m4ZWpxDRBi68sbzhzVfbeJ8NKRs6QTXhqAXCccQVIa8jDHHuSRDIMGfs_RPVj4XjYI-OCM8vix6r413VYLDV4Ohi6EcGIlJnLai0ICgYE/s1600/Jun+14+2011+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF43CY-924RjUBov4st_SjGOTUHBOJN-0Hz-5o8nKNrirCggEggPIWPReZZmSi4hU1qx59ZRrLnr-TK0nxIW4woUBfk3aNki_tQkHpkO7duA5D38SqrVV27cf8DsddCfxGCQJjY3oane4/s1600/Jun+14+2011+014.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF43CY-924RjUBov4st_SjGOTUHBOJN-0Hz-5o8nKNrirCggEggPIWPReZZmSi4hU1qx59ZRrLnr-TK0nxIW4woUBfk3aNki_tQkHpkO7duA5D38SqrVV27cf8DsddCfxGCQJjY3oane4/s320/Jun+14+2011+014.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUZzyv4ZxWtEmxvpIba58U5idDn_hyphenhyphenMZpOBBY0Ued7n103mtlmOgbolDvJY_H67zGJexuCv-smsJMwPgs_MwSTWAaT9HYteQ0hPD1lo0JvaWUZBZeHUghBT0M54LNKFbzXyKQu6BAaO6Q/s1600/Jun+14+2011+019.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUZzyv4ZxWtEmxvpIba58U5idDn_hyphenhyphenMZpOBBY0Ued7n103mtlmOgbolDvJY_H67zGJexuCv-smsJMwPgs_MwSTWAaT9HYteQ0hPD1lo0JvaWUZBZeHUghBT0M54LNKFbzXyKQu6BAaO6Q/s320/Jun+14+2011+019.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
A few days ago, as I showed Landscape Arch with its skinny, unbelievable, 306-foot span. I tried to decide which aspect of it to present, so much was there to show and tell and imagine. As I looked up at the cliff beside it, I saw a small hole in the vertical sandstone wall, pictured here, zoomed in. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFx5QBYlxnsUc31ht-4vWilf0lh34c3lMcEyENeXHNsTgNjWzFHZWv46Bztfnbh8RkuSpDHdlwsuA5RY2BMIGG_wsKLm_g_u8kbpx3OLoGZaeDnkShSI8FfYdRlUer8LJHAjpvRMgz42o/s1600/Jun+14+2011+024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFx5QBYlxnsUc31ht-4vWilf0lh34c3lMcEyENeXHNsTgNjWzFHZWv46Bztfnbh8RkuSpDHdlwsuA5RY2BMIGG_wsKLm_g_u8kbpx3OLoGZaeDnkShSI8FfYdRlUer8LJHAjpvRMgz42o/s320/Jun+14+2011+024.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEwlZw2E1TS6W-bRL84VrBUflsw3ru9PRb-m4ZWpxDRBi68sbzhzVfbeJ8NKRs6QTXhqAXCccQVIa8jDHHuSRDIMGfs_RPVj4XjYI-OCM8vix6r413VYLDV4Ohi6EcGIlJnLai0ICgYE/s1600/Jun+14+2011+021.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEwlZw2E1TS6W-bRL84VrBUflsw3ru9PRb-m4ZWpxDRBi68sbzhzVfbeJ8NKRs6QTXhqAXCccQVIa8jDHHuSRDIMGfs_RPVj4XjYI-OCM8vix6r413VYLDV4Ohi6EcGIlJnLai0ICgYE/s320/Jun+14+2011+021.jpg" width="320" /></a>After leaving Landscape Arch, I followed cairns (piles or small rocks that mark the “trail.”) I slithered between rock fins, walked the foot-wide top of a fin, and climbed a scree of fallen boulders to arrive at Partition Arch on its other side. Not a technical climb, but a scramble, not that distinctions matter to me; the easiest way is best. I was rewarded with solitude and a view window on the desert below. Well worth the effort and risk.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-65061082059242298142011-06-16T18:24:00.000-07:002011-06-16T18:35:10.936-07:00Mesa Arch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJaty_9c1O9s7uMWGCkq-a2ea0zMEvQuBFkwKHRzGcHLTWJSJU6NItaHlYQUwGnJ7kphi22NnwpKusVsd7MzGBqBR_8hnQ0d6t_VFWYxm1d-1PFKmdIXqZkh5HRpJlIaYjOhMh__I5lcY/s1600/Jun+16+2011+001b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJaty_9c1O9s7uMWGCkq-a2ea0zMEvQuBFkwKHRzGcHLTWJSJU6NItaHlYQUwGnJ7kphi22NnwpKusVsd7MzGBqBR_8hnQ0d6t_VFWYxm1d-1PFKmdIXqZkh5HRpJlIaYjOhMh__I5lcY/s640/Jun+16+2011+001b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Mesa Arch is a favorite of professional photographers and especially preferred at sunrise. Since it fits my routine to appear at that hour, I made the five-minute walk from the road, expecting to find a few pros from whom I might learn. I was running late, but stopped on the way for the above shot of a flaming sunrise.<br />
<div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Lu-q1JWLp3KAkCBDL_H8vsXY-NNLCGiy1tQFPdG56cBB2yvhsD6_oYCm7iRnjrqS305azjZ4iYrPucDeFtU36IZNLNfFUkLJrJs1PNZsjBbZBSJq6GmHfrvieqnWX9LqAukdH6FPk20/s1600/Jun+16+2011+009.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Lu-q1JWLp3KAkCBDL_H8vsXY-NNLCGiy1tQFPdG56cBB2yvhsD6_oYCm7iRnjrqS305azjZ4iYrPucDeFtU36IZNLNfFUkLJrJs1PNZsjBbZBSJq6GmHfrvieqnWX9LqAukdH6FPk20/s320/Jun+16+2011+009.jpg" width="320" /></a>When I came over the hill and looked down on Mesa Arch, there they were, and more than a few, set up with tripods and already clicking. I quickly mingled among them, shooting from where they shot, commenting on the red spectacle before us. But I was soon to learn the rules. There is no sign with printed rules, but the pros know them and enforce them. I was reprimanded and put in line. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Rule 1: No talking! Questions are forbidden and conversation is outlawed.</div><div class="Regular">Rule 2: Never step in the field of someone’s picture.</div><div class="Regular">Rule 3: Anyone with a small hand-held camera like mine is forbidden from taking a place in front. Amateurs like me must stay back and sneak a shot between the pros as we can.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOF6M5fTfogmDi3r8njfWy4ByfE7nxE5bJa5-JXlt9d5l2v6tdbExAUVuXOUhk7xbWZcD5GYaUmgUFarWcJ6CTGWCwKr9plorORwcpS3xviDLt-JqdZ_M7U8dcmt1BnqWjwyGfk2xFDTI/s1600/Jun+16+2011+033.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOF6M5fTfogmDi3r8njfWy4ByfE7nxE5bJa5-JXlt9d5l2v6tdbExAUVuXOUhk7xbWZcD5GYaUmgUFarWcJ6CTGWCwKr9plorORwcpS3xviDLt-JqdZ_M7U8dcmt1BnqWjwyGfk2xFDTI/s320/Jun+16+2011+033.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMTVHv_O4PxA5GGHw6mH5gmDStHGU7zoZHmDKl8Zlg92HqrpMvYaSLruPkPicA8V25U_Q-I0v6DAbTCs_ES4MkYa5yBHhCRZ4jAzvtdikTnm4lOqrtKvOra1Mlv9pPuwtZmxbCNR8g1Y/s1600/Jun+16+2011+036.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMTVHv_O4PxA5GGHw6mH5gmDStHGU7zoZHmDKl8Zlg92HqrpMvYaSLruPkPicA8V25U_Q-I0v6DAbTCs_ES4MkYa5yBHhCRZ4jAzvtdikTnm4lOqrtKvOra1Mlv9pPuwtZmxbCNR8g1Y/s320/Jun+16+2011+036.jpg" width="320" /></a>So I moved behind them like a mouse, aiming where they aimed, holding my camera over their heads. When one of them left his tripod for a moment, I stepped in and snapped. But mostly I shot from places away from their turf. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPXc1EwWs5fyEuaz7Ij4mYmQ_aGw7QJdl2Os_m-5QMIoqoQj6a7rvAGTNrKt_wons1kfV9HzQy-Xw0_2BY148nnZpZzvFX2oOX5h8jvwng2fexFqq8I2sVMR05FyaYhOyJDHwEBtAHlw/s1600/Jun+16+2011+045.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPXc1EwWs5fyEuaz7Ij4mYmQ_aGw7QJdl2Os_m-5QMIoqoQj6a7rvAGTNrKt_wons1kfV9HzQy-Xw0_2BY148nnZpZzvFX2oOX5h8jvwng2fexFqq8I2sVMR05FyaYhOyJDHwEBtAHlw/s320/Jun+16+2011+045.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqjifARKv0eGbGCKMdYQkMOm1C7kxpR4Uy233sGZUwf_-R2Ziqued_BY_TrXqc5eRx5nSAsxMNeeqQRnZdK32yDfnbKT9M_gV4zl0t7J6gHygqXtosdMDgBchQAGkXUP-zIsHdR2QfzU/s1600/Jun+16+2011+050.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqjifARKv0eGbGCKMdYQkMOm1C7kxpR4Uy233sGZUwf_-R2Ziqued_BY_TrXqc5eRx5nSAsxMNeeqQRnZdK32yDfnbKT9M_gV4zl0t7J6gHygqXtosdMDgBchQAGkXUP-zIsHdR2QfzU/s320/Jun+16+2011+050.jpg" width="320" /></a>Mesa Arch is perched on the edge of a mesa, so when looking through it, we see a sweeping vista out across the desert. Washer-Woman Arch stands in the left foreground; Monster Tower is the pinnacle to its right; and the butte behind them is Airport Tower. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kwfa5tHXLUz-_dI-3OifLv9hIhgEknCKKqAWW109GXHTOb5ex864fp6KQmAbH799c9koTqVZWDstAoE5bQHVFQlup4lnUtde5qc6Zc5Vmm0tPjXvmbloEsVtzuOD_0HsNAwnAm6GOrM/s1600/Jun+16+2011+015.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="Regular"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbSagCxZ4zzhGSvd_7BXpoMb4e6x7JfBR8_e-YNV9Cgh6aLn7f8jtErt4AuluaibjPkjEbpIRUa7_GOFI_kMVPJzDLZmfXqsiSgbCxSejVdCbJ4LSprTsKa1hFxJfTsJ7xSeG0DRqHH0/s1600/Jun+16+2011+044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbSagCxZ4zzhGSvd_7BXpoMb4e6x7JfBR8_e-YNV9Cgh6aLn7f8jtErt4AuluaibjPkjEbpIRUa7_GOFI_kMVPJzDLZmfXqsiSgbCxSejVdCbJ4LSprTsKa1hFxJfTsJ7xSeG0DRqHH0/s1600/Jun+16+2011+044.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kwfa5tHXLUz-_dI-3OifLv9hIhgEknCKKqAWW109GXHTOb5ex864fp6KQmAbH799c9koTqVZWDstAoE5bQHVFQlup4lnUtde5qc6Zc5Vmm0tPjXvmbloEsVtzuOD_0HsNAwnAm6GOrM/s1600/Jun+16+2011+015.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kwfa5tHXLUz-_dI-3OifLv9hIhgEknCKKqAWW109GXHTOb5ex864fp6KQmAbH799c9koTqVZWDstAoE5bQHVFQlup4lnUtde5qc6Zc5Vmm0tPjXvmbloEsVtzuOD_0HsNAwnAm6GOrM/s320/Jun+16+2011+015.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbSagCxZ4zzhGSvd_7BXpoMb4e6x7JfBR8_e-YNV9Cgh6aLn7f8jtErt4AuluaibjPkjEbpIRUa7_GOFI_kMVPJzDLZmfXqsiSgbCxSejVdCbJ4LSprTsKa1hFxJfTsJ7xSeG0DRqHH0/s1600/Jun+16+2011+044.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbSagCxZ4zzhGSvd_7BXpoMb4e6x7JfBR8_e-YNV9Cgh6aLn7f8jtErt4AuluaibjPkjEbpIRUa7_GOFI_kMVPJzDLZmfXqsiSgbCxSejVdCbJ4LSprTsKa1hFxJfTsJ7xSeG0DRqHH0/s320/Jun+16+2011+044.jpg" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Looking through Mesa Arch at sunrise is truly memorable. But if I were a professional photographer, I would try to find unusual and unknown subjects, things that people don’t expect and that are not photographed by twenty other pros every morning.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-422356735583745242011-06-15T15:32:00.000-07:002011-06-15T15:43:43.113-07:00Landscape Arch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixp1Tq9YExj0-TexdBp_7PSNAKrCl9g-66Dgc0JS16WYIwc3FLb4vBMHWt5Gz9uDTWdK6Eagfh4KoE_cYoUL5OZp-7UYUW5BdzpSplnt1PX70t0LvvHX8Q8ipxAuDikqPQXSu9F8QkQBs/s1600/Jun+14+2011+008a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixp1Tq9YExj0-TexdBp_7PSNAKrCl9g-66Dgc0JS16WYIwc3FLb4vBMHWt5Gz9uDTWdK6Eagfh4KoE_cYoUL5OZp-7UYUW5BdzpSplnt1PX70t0LvvHX8Q8ipxAuDikqPQXSu9F8QkQBs/s640/Jun+14+2011+008a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNGqP33c8AArGg3nQ488uufkPt2ShyphenhyphengxEZjwPrMyUf_8xp8c4xge6N69cjpDDlZtpMBtaKQI2pEXWwyidr9d18tYAz_uiN-0c_RfEjYbg61-ATLU97NSEL97sxqP0Y3hoRiYbdqMeJzQ/s1600/Jun+14+2011+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNGqP33c8AArGg3nQ488uufkPt2ShyphenhyphengxEZjwPrMyUf_8xp8c4xge6N69cjpDDlZtpMBtaKQI2pEXWwyidr9d18tYAz_uiN-0c_RfEjYbg61-ATLU97NSEL97sxqP0Y3hoRiYbdqMeJzQ/s1600/Jun+14+2011+009.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNGqP33c8AArGg3nQ488uufkPt2ShyphenhyphengxEZjwPrMyUf_8xp8c4xge6N69cjpDDlZtpMBtaKQI2pEXWwyidr9d18tYAz_uiN-0c_RfEjYbg61-ATLU97NSEL97sxqP0Y3hoRiYbdqMeJzQ/s320/Jun+14+2011+009.jpg" width="320" /></a>Eight days in southeast Utah, based in Moab, and I’ve adopted a routine. Up at four, on the road in darkness, arrive at some trailhead with enough light to see, fast hike to some strange rock formation that reveals its glories best shortly after sunrise. I avoid people this way and always find a place to park. Yesterday, I arrived at Landscape Arch, shown above, and stood alone before it, watching it unfold like a flower in early light. Only a mile walk on an easy trail, but they all missed its best today, choosing to arrive around nine when the day is getting hot and the parking lot full of cars. I was gone before the crowd came up the trail. I can’t understand their thinking on how to see Arches National Park, but am happy they do it wrong.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiott34mW9JPvUP-F3RX4rJWOYt-FecTbDNO8xY0xV3Be5UI_v0Q5xm_i2IULgeyshjw_xInOrTdqXt1ImZb279VI_aXisAOTv5WQa2eAACjOPpy3bNCLFeVFSIdaDkL1YK4wOZF9Ng3k/s1600/Jun+14+2011+013.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiott34mW9JPvUP-F3RX4rJWOYt-FecTbDNO8xY0xV3Be5UI_v0Q5xm_i2IULgeyshjw_xInOrTdqXt1ImZb279VI_aXisAOTv5WQa2eAACjOPpy3bNCLFeVFSIdaDkL1YK4wOZF9Ng3k/s320/Jun+14+2011+013.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Just fifty years ago, you had to drive a rough dirt road to get to this trailhead, and few people ever saw this wonder. But now progress has come to the Arches after millions of years of neglect.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Do you wonder how this long, fragile beam of stone originated and has not fallen? To me it defies physics. Rock arches stay in place by transmitting compression to the abutments, the Romans figured that out. But the thin part of this arch seems not arched enough to develop compression. It appears in tension on its lower side. The span is 306 feet, the longest in the world, and there’s a lot of weight up there. Since 1991, at least three big pieces of rock have fallen from the arch, and it cannot last much longer before total collapse.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYd4VEs2HjvgSOkMMNw4jKski7_34YE7CuMOQlC_EPVhrtpaWaVXX0YrffU4-wce5chKS_55PeEb4ulhgUqZqbBOOPMotrRtHAngqjlqV2VnG9sBbRXhaIi9J90YigGSm9oa75Zm8sfU/s1600/Jun+14+2011+038.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYd4VEs2HjvgSOkMMNw4jKski7_34YE7CuMOQlC_EPVhrtpaWaVXX0YrffU4-wce5chKS_55PeEb4ulhgUqZqbBOOPMotrRtHAngqjlqV2VnG9sBbRXhaIi9J90YigGSm9oa75Zm8sfU/s320/Jun+14+2011+038.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">The arches were formed by weathering of sandstone walls or fins, like the ones pictured at the left.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_CapwkHFYuDTXTxT9TO-PfJ7oLEQlgMJC9sX8BWiiZgDYOvDJvqloWf4eRdcy9M8Ori_3JmKL5ipshXLmepdnJMImfO3bFtAJd5v6YZz9MKYngsX-21ORcxRH1GYAiYx9A-_lrHnh2U/s1600/Jun+14+2011+091.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_CapwkHFYuDTXTxT9TO-PfJ7oLEQlgMJC9sX8BWiiZgDYOvDJvqloWf4eRdcy9M8Ori_3JmKL5ipshXLmepdnJMImfO3bFtAJd5v6YZz9MKYngsX-21ORcxRH1GYAiYx9A-_lrHnh2U/s320/Jun+14+2011+091.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
The modest wear of rainwater and wedging of ice hollowed out the arches. Landscape Arch might have looked like this in its infancy. Millions of years in the making, it became thin and will fall in a few seconds.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQN97d5SAlMB7eUd8JZnVvLZb2l_g7968ZTiTa5cKMyFCm-zU40nO22nMLO7Alm3MvG45bWWZUEGShv-pwHhfN9k87V-NzPW2ubRdwbsy42ht9T5zMtA2EaNuXjx-9pAG8AzgKELp4Tms/s1600/Jun+14+2011+041.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQN97d5SAlMB7eUd8JZnVvLZb2l_g7968ZTiTa5cKMyFCm-zU40nO22nMLO7Alm3MvG45bWWZUEGShv-pwHhfN9k87V-NzPW2ubRdwbsy42ht9T5zMtA2EaNuXjx-9pAG8AzgKELp4Tms/s320/Jun+14+2011+041.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
Perhaps between these two abutments an arch once spanned.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeHRKDoUXNm1HIcz65M4hpQzy3ZYIOiqUwl3Kjw-aJgVgNLud_FS9OsojmmQ_pnOx8mw1UZrGjMBhzPfNZjGEneq0VhoznXdZUQBpVvJ5TBATxotirqpqikL6scg6Vt3jlqONZyc3L_eY/s1600/Jun+14+2011+109.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeHRKDoUXNm1HIcz65M4hpQzy3ZYIOiqUwl3Kjw-aJgVgNLud_FS9OsojmmQ_pnOx8mw1UZrGjMBhzPfNZjGEneq0VhoznXdZUQBpVvJ5TBATxotirqpqikL6scg6Vt3jlqONZyc3L_eY/s320/Jun+14+2011+109.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">The trail ends at Landscape Arch, for most people. A series of rock cairns will guide those who wish to scramble over boulders, slither through slots, and walk atop narrow rock fins. By following the cairns, I maintain the illusion that I am one of few, the brave, the Marines, living wild like this flower, out of bare rock. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjthH_m8mKhmeuBhKW6-10pLtZy7kHTK2ep1Ifxm9XgB4NHhla4Sgrk4X9Q54JWw_tFxlLUPmKH3_vKtqLOGYvZiHXE6hCQwpauFmLK7yQ8g4Kq2-d_aXNxMjLRuP6bCegfKxX60R3Btao/s1600/Jun+14+2011+024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjthH_m8mKhmeuBhKW6-10pLtZy7kHTK2ep1Ifxm9XgB4NHhla4Sgrk4X9Q54JWw_tFxlLUPmKH3_vKtqLOGYvZiHXE6hCQwpauFmLK7yQ8g4Kq2-d_aXNxMjLRuP6bCegfKxX60R3Btao/s1600/Jun+14+2011+024.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjthH_m8mKhmeuBhKW6-10pLtZy7kHTK2ep1Ifxm9XgB4NHhla4Sgrk4X9Q54JWw_tFxlLUPmKH3_vKtqLOGYvZiHXE6hCQwpauFmLK7yQ8g4Kq2-d_aXNxMjLRuP6bCegfKxX60R3Btao/s320/Jun+14+2011+024.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">While the US Park Service has paved the roads and provided short easy trails to most of the sites, I am happy to find that many spectacular places are no more accessible today than they were when Edward Abbey was a park ranger here in the sixties. After leaving Landscape Arch, I followed cairns to Partition Arch, Navajo Arch, Double-O Arch, the spire of Dark Angel, Private Arch, and many unnamed cracks and fins and small arches on a long hike that left me satisfied, hungry, and tired. I did not post anything yesterday, but am resting, posting today.</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-26996669864641169072011-06-13T16:06:00.000-07:002011-06-13T16:21:31.235-07:00Delicate Arch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZ85DFMXwb-gCd8osKLIdpf5SIRbx1M1xBYIrbgSPqr6uLTGfFyM0kmrnRieaChc432s8UXy9BPXr4YKEuOoXQEwpvTmq8iQ6cGr3o5beMK7neJiEIzW7GIcFYrUSep689rwlsT4Mfwk/s1600/Jun+13+2011+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="Regular"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZ85DFMXwb-gCd8osKLIdpf5SIRbx1M1xBYIrbgSPqr6uLTGfFyM0kmrnRieaChc432s8UXy9BPXr4YKEuOoXQEwpvTmq8iQ6cGr3o5beMK7neJiEIzW7GIcFYrUSep689rwlsT4Mfwk/s1600/Jun+13+2011+001.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZ85DFMXwb-gCd8osKLIdpf5SIRbx1M1xBYIrbgSPqr6uLTGfFyM0kmrnRieaChc432s8UXy9BPXr4YKEuOoXQEwpvTmq8iQ6cGr3o5beMK7neJiEIzW7GIcFYrUSep689rwlsT4Mfwk/s320/Jun+13+2011+001.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrc9DED92BiRKdByltxUvS2Ma80B5gh1uvjuvH2ZmlIJvhyphenhyphenDD6uri4uYk0bSKDpx_PngAvoDgfAWsPnjWIDj7X6Lk29kLDJEjMQZzLhWR55BdZynyYXuG7K6pJWXkMopWu5f_gZi6eFkk/s1600/Jun+13+2011+006.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrc9DED92BiRKdByltxUvS2Ma80B5gh1uvjuvH2ZmlIJvhyphenhyphenDD6uri4uYk0bSKDpx_PngAvoDgfAWsPnjWIDj7X6Lk29kLDJEjMQZzLhWR55BdZynyYXuG7K6pJWXkMopWu5f_gZi6eFkk/s320/Jun+13+2011+006.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">I was up in the dark this morning, heading for Arches National Park, just a ten-minute drive north of Moab, to the pay station which was closed, and another twenty minutes to the trailhead. I wanted to complete the two mile hike to Delicate arch in time for sunrise. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUrct9UZQ25C641EtH2FycWUOsmDr_HFG_iUDRygaBl6gryiEavjXNd-lhSlsui-LRAgaTR4bbj72SsQaE_25zK738r7NIcpHIEWdfKhZojV__p2GAyRBBR3k9sMunEs87s4gvBJlgmkI/s1600/Jun+13+2011+010.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUrct9UZQ25C641EtH2FycWUOsmDr_HFG_iUDRygaBl6gryiEavjXNd-lhSlsui-LRAgaTR4bbj72SsQaE_25zK738r7NIcpHIEWdfKhZojV__p2GAyRBBR3k9sMunEs87s4gvBJlgmkI/s320/Jun+13+2011+010.jpg" width="240" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCUsMSG1s0NkR2oICS_NldS3nCYXiPQNJ2sv53YtrvrxqD0d6PRbwudKAKIo5I8Sz1q04HGMLKfRoBNsVh_7GPK2PGDlCKvmGU1pbl1BQPxdqfRluOUSrAC9i1DFGlJ8WzYN04614crE/s1600/Jun+13+2011+014.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCUsMSG1s0NkR2oICS_NldS3nCYXiPQNJ2sv53YtrvrxqD0d6PRbwudKAKIo5I8Sz1q04HGMLKfRoBNsVh_7GPK2PGDlCKvmGU1pbl1BQPxdqfRluOUSrAC9i1DFGlJ8WzYN04614crE/s320/Jun+13+2011+014.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
The morning air is dry and clear and cool, perfect for hiking. I arrive before the rays of the sun first strike the cliffs, my camera clicking before it happened. Suddenly it comes, the flaming globe, blazing on the pinnacles and minarets and balanced rocks, and touching the top of the arch for which The Arches are famous. All of the next pictures show Delicate Arch from different angles as the sun was rising.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdsmOv-dqTnAtjHyVp7PNPJv9NeoWc7FwTpMpaAYbX6qCSDQZWs7OFY6ATslzrmBIBRJoYq_tTHx6HE6TxTB8wDJ7ZwdemaVRBuCEvGFKz8kV-9bn5T4Tp3gjbY1mQMf9aJf2D2-c3HI/s1600/Jun+13+2011+007.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdsmOv-dqTnAtjHyVp7PNPJv9NeoWc7FwTpMpaAYbX6qCSDQZWs7OFY6ATslzrmBIBRJoYq_tTHx6HE6TxTB8wDJ7ZwdemaVRBuCEvGFKz8kV-9bn5T4Tp3gjbY1mQMf9aJf2D2-c3HI/s320/Jun+13+2011+007.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEq0RAQSmeV1P4mOg2rX25FWjllNDJ4cZrdwSOF_ihaNnJZizFOjuTRAR4H5qjxMhdvjKPNz9RBGUtmcV812R5aA8HBo43ksRfGagLEH8mdxn6-_AKkDJgxYPQ42W9AFdR387AJeTtlqE/s1600/Jun+13+2011+019.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEq0RAQSmeV1P4mOg2rX25FWjllNDJ4cZrdwSOF_ihaNnJZizFOjuTRAR4H5qjxMhdvjKPNz9RBGUtmcV812R5aA8HBo43ksRfGagLEH8mdxn6-_AKkDJgxYPQ42W9AFdR387AJeTtlqE/s320/Jun+13+2011+019.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1njdRG1hPyeHY6UMl45eqxZL_Z9d_7vZYPwlHMH_LW4L5hfnnUUJXl9hTeuOpLkzN5arOSY6nb3jJPcF5-Nr8M7OJnpfQuurSfhW6k-0Tis-0NI1Zppxl_3cbJK6wE8JvT1MEQ0OGBA/s1600/Jun+13+2011+032.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1njdRG1hPyeHY6UMl45eqxZL_Z9d_7vZYPwlHMH_LW4L5hfnnUUJXl9hTeuOpLkzN5arOSY6nb3jJPcF5-Nr8M7OJnpfQuurSfhW6k-0Tis-0NI1Zppxl_3cbJK6wE8JvT1MEQ0OGBA/s320/Jun+13+2011+032.jpg" width="238" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZW1RSGgjGCeg2QxHRZL4NKwHEF6BDfH1peTn5kRxEEuLwWjn74nKXym9xDD6WdkLOsPBi7fsXAAFz4l5yKKCfE4z6oqp5SLxXOr9exYhsSqR5O7IebTmOgvPK2ZJS1NFH6UzMseIE5c8/s1600/Jun+13+2011+055.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZW1RSGgjGCeg2QxHRZL4NKwHEF6BDfH1peTn5kRxEEuLwWjn74nKXym9xDD6WdkLOsPBi7fsXAAFz4l5yKKCfE4z6oqp5SLxXOr9exYhsSqR5O7IebTmOgvPK2ZJS1NFH6UzMseIE5c8/s320/Jun+13+2011+055.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I walked back to the road over this trail, and came in again on the other side to view Delicate Arch from across the deep Winter Camp Wash.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1njdRG1hPyeHY6UMl45eqxZL_Z9d_7vZYPwlHMH_LW4L5hfnnUUJXl9hTeuOpLkzN5arOSY6nb3jJPcF5-Nr8M7OJnpfQuurSfhW6k-0Tis-0NI1Zppxl_3cbJK6wE8JvT1MEQ0OGBA/s1600/Jun+13+2011+032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmJcW9nTAJscZ1BtgklJWugtKGi8ddNUxIc5fhmAscWpE9oKi5rWkQEv6XNDk5hdgG10sz8bC3K61MX_saPWtmQzIWlskb0313348UKZ6zLD78JYRs6uAuMho32shtD_4h9o8tja8nHo/s1600/Jun+13+2011+060.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmJcW9nTAJscZ1BtgklJWugtKGi8ddNUxIc5fhmAscWpE9oKi5rWkQEv6XNDk5hdgG10sz8bC3K61MX_saPWtmQzIWlskb0313348UKZ6zLD78JYRs6uAuMho32shtD_4h9o8tja8nHo/s320/Jun+13+2011+060.jpg" width="256" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_Ch_4sSbxy_uKR8tBj07IIjVSvnkCwX0hOzy1pVhIYmZIJNcKd74PgtWl1rSjcFb67btaM2f4UDk12KxFIQ7hBzoZmS2MYaq6GLJgKAEzjlWfBqPpHUO40G2uKQkEGS3EhPgWQL9CoQ/s1600/Jun+13+2011+057.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_Ch_4sSbxy_uKR8tBj07IIjVSvnkCwX0hOzy1pVhIYmZIJNcKd74PgtWl1rSjcFb67btaM2f4UDk12KxFIQ7hBzoZmS2MYaq6GLJgKAEzjlWfBqPpHUO40G2uKQkEGS3EhPgWQL9CoQ/s320/Jun+13+2011+057.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnph5BYXX4TE1_M-xDnY8e4kGUbeTEi-Bp-Gj5PUS1rlMlikm3NUkLqh3oQy9X4IpUXygB8P-0ppKypy-y6Wr5XEffGQY9BTzcDCwIn9jGH0o_pxnrepNP4y7wxUCuf90R9ja84IDBJI4/s1600/Jun+13+2011+043.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnph5BYXX4TE1_M-xDnY8e4kGUbeTEi-Bp-Gj5PUS1rlMlikm3NUkLqh3oQy9X4IpUXygB8P-0ppKypy-y6Wr5XEffGQY9BTzcDCwIn9jGH0o_pxnrepNP4y7wxUCuf90R9ja84IDBJI4/s320/Jun+13+2011+043.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
I returned from Arches National Park around noon and found myself facing a gush of cars, RV’s and motorcycles coming in. Early this morning I had seen nobody. Edward Abby, writer of “Desert Solitaire” would be unhappy to see his worst fear become reality. As a park ranger here in the fifties, he did all he could to stop mechanized tourism, which he said was ruining the parks. At least there are solitary places to hike.</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-60120202702352669822011-06-12T15:22:00.001-07:002011-06-12T16:55:32.778-07:00Tourists<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKe2JlT_aWauxvf75Qq6nSpbIdd_04l_8vAi8pJLYZ3Y3vbzI4I8xeicJOndMUQDAoXwvQMXLlIZNcj0K23ewUBGvpdIMHqIBqi8WyMtslWUCoWsHeYJRRprxh82pUv01k_aQ1d-mS94/s1600/Jun+12+2011+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKe2JlT_aWauxvf75Qq6nSpbIdd_04l_8vAi8pJLYZ3Y3vbzI4I8xeicJOndMUQDAoXwvQMXLlIZNcj0K23ewUBGvpdIMHqIBqi8WyMtslWUCoWsHeYJRRprxh82pUv01k_aQ1d-mS94/s1600/Jun+12+2011+006.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKe2JlT_aWauxvf75Qq6nSpbIdd_04l_8vAi8pJLYZ3Y3vbzI4I8xeicJOndMUQDAoXwvQMXLlIZNcj0K23ewUBGvpdIMHqIBqi8WyMtslWUCoWsHeYJRRprxh82pUv01k_aQ1d-mS94/s320/Jun+12+2011+006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">I spent these last two days in and near Moab, settling into ordiary activities of a tourist. I joined likeminded travelers at the Jailhouse Café, where they arrived in RV’s, SUV’s, jeeps, and cars with mountain bicycles high on their tops. They came on motorcycles or pulling trailers loaded with ATV’s and river rafts. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAm6FmpcV4CXb1bTGTvfqnM8SUK32MIHi0E8u9PW6HJq6NygwkVgaCNrenmNUpq2rS-AV0xP_eoOmXQg6jtLvlcRKsZKfZkwAeX9S2LmJgC5dKGgRevzQz5xR5IXtp6lwPDdLPL0y81c/s1600/Jun+11+2011+009.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAm6FmpcV4CXb1bTGTvfqnM8SUK32MIHi0E8u9PW6HJq6NygwkVgaCNrenmNUpq2rS-AV0xP_eoOmXQg6jtLvlcRKsZKfZkwAeX9S2LmJgC5dKGgRevzQz5xR5IXtp6lwPDdLPL0y81c/s320/Jun+11+2011+009.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
No longer is Moab a hub for cowboys and uranium prospectors. The Ute Indians have left, and the Mormon missionaries have withdrawn into their private places and even allow hard liquor. Today Moab serves tourists at a profit. No other town is so well located that visitors can reach three national parks, each on a day trip. (Canyonlands is really two parks, unjoined by any road.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpF3_U0kL86DgKifMtMUOFE7SqrE3GLa1CDsVb-A1ek0HHAbqlueO2IEkyHY3hhP5OsH9NOjQahSf70NtpzkMXXROCQlo1moM9-RaHuZ-K-KtkxlW8SdtWrSBR-E1VMCNygmt5bX2jZA/s1600/Jun+11+2011+016.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpF3_U0kL86DgKifMtMUOFE7SqrE3GLa1CDsVb-A1ek0HHAbqlueO2IEkyHY3hhP5OsH9NOjQahSf70NtpzkMXXROCQlo1moM9-RaHuZ-K-KtkxlW8SdtWrSBR-E1VMCNygmt5bX2jZA/s320/Jun+11+2011+016.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular">They file into the Jailhouse Café in litters spaced 1.5 years apart, in heights of 4.5’, 4’, 3’, and 2’ all in matching T-shirts. Two families come in together and ask for a table for twelve. I sit surprised at how well they and their young parents behave away from home. They will circle the parks of Utah, ten parks in two weeks, stopping in Moab for perhaps three days. I join them, well behaved and polite as I know how in the Jailhouse. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiynbICZM87-c2PQUYoozFCQ_bJs-imm1NiMKap0R8SVZ_iydDwxD7rkn6E-XatmkERVK5M9ym9qe2b2AeVdMLWCtI6OILpe-T9S1rqXjq6ZCuqhu3TWaitTlgmk_WLkFchIE9HSwh_aw/s1600/Jun+11+2011+008.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiynbICZM87-c2PQUYoozFCQ_bJs-imm1NiMKap0R8SVZ_iydDwxD7rkn6E-XatmkERVK5M9ym9qe2b2AeVdMLWCtI6OILpe-T9S1rqXjq6ZCuqhu3TWaitTlgmk_WLkFchIE9HSwh_aw/s320/Jun+11+2011+008.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9GvmCJqu_csfbD4wZy_VOA7qN2FO6IbjJAMB5wehkcX8k4otT3DcmkWw86cRO5DYZJpTzZVFwkmBtA-AnMUdnlsYDTy_lJ3UWAUj82vi8-19tv-nJSuS5hovybXjM821FUAFjqkA5Zo/s1600/Jun+11+2011+020.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9GvmCJqu_csfbD4wZy_VOA7qN2FO6IbjJAMB5wehkcX8k4otT3DcmkWw86cRO5DYZJpTzZVFwkmBtA-AnMUdnlsYDTy_lJ3UWAUj82vi8-19tv-nJSuS5hovybXjM821FUAFjqkA5Zo/s320/Jun+11+2011+020.jpg" width="320" /></a>.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnieo3ujCNSCW9NSgw8A4WO9SEMpPzbvrts6Vh6Eto0ygIAUPDkOb3sw6uoxb8FKgBNRN3vRZMTCUlI6xbIBMfbw56m7F07LM_7ceJBYyem6lo3jikJoAuh6lNJf_pOmYTAD3IK-lH3Y/s1600/Jun+12+2011+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Last evening I did the expected of a tourist—an evening cruise on the Colorado River. A man narrated the sights along the banks, pointing out faces in the vertical rock walls, which we can recognize with only a little imagination. Our brains seem best with faces. We can recognize a face in almost any configuration of rock if we stare long enough. Kids on the boat were finding them unassisted, while I was seeing buffalos, elk, and mac trucks in the same rock.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqyPJns3f87nEsn47WFAh8skeTxlkhYEajTuevzg_i_mbqU9XWfNm-SMHDC1etfmkXmU4B4BebbzX3jlgwa-G3Q4TqVQLWKLVJ2Pekyl5lOHVQzkJl7Z0ZejnyW7517IMHQObViZGzmw/s1600/Jun+12+2011+003.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqyPJns3f87nEsn47WFAh8skeTxlkhYEajTuevzg_i_mbqU9XWfNm-SMHDC1etfmkXmU4B4BebbzX3jlgwa-G3Q4TqVQLWKLVJ2Pekyl5lOHVQzkJl7Z0ZejnyW7517IMHQObViZGzmw/s320/Jun+12+2011+003.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnieo3ujCNSCW9NSgw8A4WO9SEMpPzbvrts6Vh6Eto0ygIAUPDkOb3sw6uoxb8FKgBNRN3vRZMTCUlI6xbIBMfbw56m7F07LM_7ceJBYyem6lo3jikJoAuh6lNJf_pOmYTAD3IK-lH3Y/s1600/Jun+12+2011+005.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnieo3ujCNSCW9NSgw8A4WO9SEMpPzbvrts6Vh6Eto0ygIAUPDkOb3sw6uoxb8FKgBNRN3vRZMTCUlI6xbIBMfbw56m7F07LM_7ceJBYyem6lo3jikJoAuh6lNJf_pOmYTAD3IK-lH3Y/s320/Jun+12+2011+005.jpg" width="320" /></a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I did another sane and near-tourist thing today in riding the Moab Valley Bicycle Path, an uphill journey through red rock on a paved trail completely free from cars. There I took pictures of sandstone, which you can see above in horizontal layers where it settled to the bottom of a great sea some twenty million years ago.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhevQpQHnCJjPAn-U6X9O6549mk23BRix7Pclzs8lo_sXVvhVj1NOc-uMP1vuon2rl2rPnhVmCbNCa4Yv20xLOarij4EwH34Ldp6qrdtoFTWzr0ibJ3SilA4xzvR3SaMAdZqH8BEyUtVUI/s1600/Jun+12+2011+001.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhevQpQHnCJjPAn-U6X9O6549mk23BRix7Pclzs8lo_sXVvhVj1NOc-uMP1vuon2rl2rPnhVmCbNCa4Yv20xLOarij4EwH34Ldp6qrdtoFTWzr0ibJ3SilA4xzvR3SaMAdZqH8BEyUtVUI/s320/Jun+12+2011+001.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
This sandstone is not in horizontal layers. It was deposited by wind in the form of sand dunes. So how did an ocean and dry sand get placed one on top of the other? Well, the tectonic plate moved both hundreds of miles horizontally and thousands of feet vertically, and did so several times. Inconceivable! Yet all the fossils and other evidence point to a conclusion of unimaginable time in which deposition and erosion slowly created what I see by simply looking at these rocks.</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-55307555378959420732011-06-11T16:54:00.000-07:002011-06-11T17:15:24.543-07:00Druid Arch<div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjz9ZrQPzOMeTbnxM1J4d4bhck8wmjG71usQplbzEtuh576Yw5KMU_h6NL1NEiwllY1GVZKS8oQiKuyyqN49IcRHOjdRQCMTJbjdBHW3efomrmXiuW7y22lOnA2VW24r8nmOg4bEDjwWg/s1600/Jun+09+2011+029.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjz9ZrQPzOMeTbnxM1J4d4bhck8wmjG71usQplbzEtuh576Yw5KMU_h6NL1NEiwllY1GVZKS8oQiKuyyqN49IcRHOjdRQCMTJbjdBHW3efomrmXiuW7y22lOnA2VW24r8nmOg4bEDjwWg/s320/Jun+09+2011+029.jpg" width="320" /></a>Yesterday I left you in the setting sun, crawled into my sack and went to sleep. Above, hung the half-moon, dimly illuminating the rocks above my camp. So utterly silent was the night that every scratch of rodant, every far away hoo-hoo of owl, every howl of coyote came inside my little tent to awake me until I learned to ignore them. Something about a long stiff climb makes a meager meal and strange night sounds seem just right.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"></div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHHnlpy7FXeLpngDBfAXlShW7YXncBdyGT_7CoPF4aaIBahXgzGALnP3eob5UBjRpW7bVQ3b85UTisoplxzAmeq6sXG2_4VmMfo-F8X2Gpii64dKzozwSvVqlZ5-bUKWS31iLDyJv9lQ/s1600/Jun+09+2011+088.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHHnlpy7FXeLpngDBfAXlShW7YXncBdyGT_7CoPF4aaIBahXgzGALnP3eob5UBjRpW7bVQ3b85UTisoplxzAmeq6sXG2_4VmMfo-F8X2Gpii64dKzozwSvVqlZ5-bUKWS31iLDyJv9lQ/s320/Jun+09+2011+088.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
At some point in the darkness, after the moon had gone down, I came out of the tent and nearly fell over from a squat when I saw the sky burning with glittering stars, rich and frosty. The sky was just as full of ancient portent as the rocks I had pondered the meanings of yesterday. Fortunately, we now have telescopes that relieve us of assigning godly names and worshipful accolades to the stars, but it’s easy to see, on a dark night, how the Anasazi could.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_58ajrg8fAxGePePDVwwtQDdGt6t02Twl_NCKj8AZgfBAEKZ2ZLLvl_mGyoe84PZMZVeUrFqTu0IENez4K7T2AFQlLVKo9Rvnp0wUcQgyivLQgOaiVlnZ2WVYOQrqvDHYv7cKqD_gL0/s1600/Jun+09+2011+038+Big+Bird.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_58ajrg8fAxGePePDVwwtQDdGt6t02Twl_NCKj8AZgfBAEKZ2ZLLvl_mGyoe84PZMZVeUrFqTu0IENez4K7T2AFQlLVKo9Rvnp0wUcQgyivLQgOaiVlnZ2WVYOQrqvDHYv7cKqD_gL0/s320/Jun+09+2011+038+Big+Bird.jpg" width="240" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">In the morning I left most of my ger behind and carried only essentials for the up-and-back climb. Elephant Canyon narrowed and steepened as I followed it deeper into the Needles, rock walls closing together on the sides, and in one place, Big Bird looking down.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-eMv201Z56vGCh1yGTcGmpxLd-z-g-skzTxurS6nBVreYcEalWzFTyBbQ5CbHkKQTp1WzA9BTM-XzcBeVkhAqZLpZLh0pkAiSUFPhLDONZAG-hOStg4f61ygw6rvvzR3gvqJrddegzOA/s1600/Jun+09+2011+043.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a> </div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-eMv201Z56vGCh1yGTcGmpxLd-z-g-skzTxurS6nBVreYcEalWzFTyBbQ5CbHkKQTp1WzA9BTM-XzcBeVkhAqZLpZLh0pkAiSUFPhLDONZAG-hOStg4f61ygw6rvvzR3gvqJrddegzOA/s1600/Jun+09+2011+043.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-eMv201Z56vGCh1yGTcGmpxLd-z-g-skzTxurS6nBVreYcEalWzFTyBbQ5CbHkKQTp1WzA9BTM-XzcBeVkhAqZLpZLh0pkAiSUFPhLDONZAG-hOStg4f61ygw6rvvzR3gvqJrddegzOA/s320/Jun+09+2011+043.jpg" width="240" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
In this picture, a rock appears to have been place precariously on a column of sandstone. It is one of the Needles. But geologists think that a very long ago, a great inland sea collected sand grains from rivers flowing into it. The grains hardened into rock; the land rose; the sea disappeared. Then came a long stage of erosion when the harder layers (like the rock on top of this needle) resisted rainfall better than the layers under it. This is why the Colorado river is muddy, carrying all this erosion to another ocean, which might become another Canyonland. It’s an incredible-sounding scenario.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fiF5NlQv-WnCJXdUnP4JEKPxghjO8NuTDkIi3O4sdkuMGcNoCYPXHjuesd94Ct-kBvpBhZQ4Y1E1uv-vNANPjnswH4ViOxO_xfE_iyVNb-3zhvSif67h7b_5S8QVw4yCbG9h_3qUGQk/s1600/Jun+09+2011+066.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fiF5NlQv-WnCJXdUnP4JEKPxghjO8NuTDkIi3O4sdkuMGcNoCYPXHjuesd94Ct-kBvpBhZQ4Y1E1uv-vNANPjnswH4ViOxO_xfE_iyVNb-3zhvSif67h7b_5S8QVw4yCbG9h_3qUGQk/s320/Jun+09+2011+066.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja32qgb3bUPiv-6N7L7UVyIvCASi60BGv1BTi0q8tzgWdNEb7JDlAfOXrsd_DjifV8DCvFX1b0-Zg_NiM5yrNzSeg-ARy_fzQfQ4nPWGHbkB8NJK21uc0A0Ll-B6tjWGKdcCfUVYtkRxc/s1600/Jun+09+2011+074.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja32qgb3bUPiv-6N7L7UVyIvCASi60BGv1BTi0q8tzgWdNEb7JDlAfOXrsd_DjifV8DCvFX1b0-Zg_NiM5yrNzSeg-ARy_fzQfQ4nPWGHbkB8NJK21uc0A0Ll-B6tjWGKdcCfUVYtkRxc/s320/Jun+09+2011+074.jpg" width="320" /></a>. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDHNkj2xEQpqf_Vl27o-gOvMSJRCoPMzOaC3fsUEvP1ey7cNP15f5WHBYAaCRchMKS5L9Tyy6eBolsIj6MLynn6AHam40M2C0fxMWX9NRDsPP4-enerblgGlz1AV1c4IyrH-pJRxhzYg/s1600/Jun+09+2011+083.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDHNkj2xEQpqf_Vl27o-gOvMSJRCoPMzOaC3fsUEvP1ey7cNP15f5WHBYAaCRchMKS5L9Tyy6eBolsIj6MLynn6AHam40M2C0fxMWX9NRDsPP4-enerblgGlz1AV1c4IyrH-pJRxhzYg/s320/Jun+09+2011+083.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I see what looks like another needle ahead and wonder if I am close to the heart of the Needles.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0PB63ku3HCdQEkZ8Qm4bxlhTTe-nNihmNklV7941Vj9cRpKukr3KKS3ZNZjA9ZiYQIGD5t8xrZdwTPuIzWHmudNrxl-o6VT5R_UIVxkTfMOb3cqVLexn4LlH2P1F_NVLo6iYYnyORaBs/s1600/Jun+09+2011+078.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0PB63ku3HCdQEkZ8Qm4bxlhTTe-nNihmNklV7941Vj9cRpKukr3KKS3ZNZjA9ZiYQIGD5t8xrZdwTPuIzWHmudNrxl-o6VT5R_UIVxkTfMOb3cqVLexn4LlH2P1F_NVLo6iYYnyORaBs/s320/Jun+09+2011+078.jpg" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Looking back down the trail, I see the cairns that mark the way I have come. “Trail” is the wrong word here. It is simply a matter of finding a way to the next cairn. Sometimes I try several routes before finding one that works.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSc-S2R54brRkHhwkU5Qetixgx1QlJ4P8lhIaXkL_B2YHxyVe87zANUxJ1cyZFqGIWQ1fHNp8Q7CZgt7wjbE6xj0qOuyi9yaGRJnoJJtfjsXmzSqOvenz5A0dV6pleAL5bKlkpIlXg5HI/s1600/Jun+09+2011+081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSc-S2R54brRkHhwkU5Qetixgx1QlJ4P8lhIaXkL_B2YHxyVe87zANUxJ1cyZFqGIWQ1fHNp8Q7CZgt7wjbE6xj0qOuyi9yaGRJnoJJtfjsXmzSqOvenz5A0dV6pleAL5bKlkpIlXg5HI/s1600/Jun+09+2011+081.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSc-S2R54brRkHhwkU5Qetixgx1QlJ4P8lhIaXkL_B2YHxyVe87zANUxJ1cyZFqGIWQ1fHNp8Q7CZgt7wjbE6xj0qOuyi9yaGRJnoJJtfjsXmzSqOvenz5A0dV6pleAL5bKlkpIlXg5HI/s320/Jun+09+2011+081.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The apparent needle is closer now.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><br />
<div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_FnAkDShgJxJbdD11piFAzfbWiFihKIC74AyTmm7pr29Vj1-C75GV9kNFemV2CixOm6bN5kCnbz610MPNvc2nfWet8vY0BNKcOSV_SHToQk5rgFDG0zhiNR4YqfnUaoXuqElNjcJKCcU/s1600/Jun+09+2011+079.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_FnAkDShgJxJbdD11piFAzfbWiFihKIC74AyTmm7pr29Vj1-C75GV9kNFemV2CixOm6bN5kCnbz610MPNvc2nfWet8vY0BNKcOSV_SHToQk5rgFDG0zhiNR4YqfnUaoXuqElNjcJKCcU/s320/Jun+09+2011+079.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Now the “needle” takies on a different shape.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZ00TRGnNsF1LCRfkj6EeFgOBQCVa_O1ZJxVVIdYyZBEE28G1VBR0058XBASFozkpSuGEU6urVuHrvNELRd3sSc7Ktc_kJIUFlaVxEDJdnkvJNB6Ub5Ycsmd8sfjaq1AiHDp1kOVw4MM/s1600/Jun+09+2011+067+Druid+Arch.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZ00TRGnNsF1LCRfkj6EeFgOBQCVa_O1ZJxVVIdYyZBEE28G1VBR0058XBASFozkpSuGEU6urVuHrvNELRd3sSc7Ktc_kJIUFlaVxEDJdnkvJNB6Ub5Ycsmd8sfjaq1AiHDp1kOVw4MM/s640/Jun+09+2011+067+Druid+Arch.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
After ascending through a crack and climbing over some huge boulders, I suddenly come upon a spectacle that takes my breath away. Druid Arch. Pictures cannot address the grandeur of this place. It is like a cathedral lined with vertical walls and spires, and in its center, the massive Druid Arch. It looked like a needle as I climbed toward it, viewing it on edge, but in this view it dazzles the imagination.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-20022130287064761872011-06-10T17:31:00.000-07:002011-06-10T20:11:52.864-07:00Heart of the Needles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="Regular"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcwkX3u2tYEOmNAD5NFcwVtarqW-u8V1l1i45qJKMie2LKTf8QNOy5JAeYijw4v0WaDnzNfSaTG_FCfDja9orc_Ax4-1EOZRXvcpwc7tlmdNgj1sh-uRmwYky8iymPiowwY3fj3fxVKQ/s1600/Jun+09+2011+104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div>At the top of my last post, you can still see a picture of The Needles in Canyonlands National Park, taken from miles away. I had heard that within that labyrinth of canyons and sandstone spires, lie the most magnificent of all rock formations in Canyonlands. It’s accessible only by a long rough trail, they say, a difficult rock scramble, with no water along the way. A permit is required, relieving the government of responsibility, while they tell me the rules and dangers.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular">So it was that yesterday morning I parked at the trailhead and proceeded with two gallons of water, enough for two days, food, tent, and sleeping bag. I would penetrate the depths of wonderland to its magnificent heart. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnsUc50Akmz0_uctN3Sv6yN3yYOuj1OTzshyphenhyphenBLj7Iq3AVnxHVPIo8Zm6eMLwdyIDwXxeKVrhPdiek51JjsZes7tQ0An8Pfp9um7Z9WOoro_ib2SuhVB8hBbGGDVnSaaeFinZtlm42_Vk/s1600/Jun+09+2011+023+Penguin.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnsUc50Akmz0_uctN3Sv6yN3yYOuj1OTzshyphenhyphenBLj7Iq3AVnxHVPIo8Zm6eMLwdyIDwXxeKVrhPdiek51JjsZes7tQ0An8Pfp9um7Z9WOoro_ib2SuhVB8hBbGGDVnSaaeFinZtlm42_Vk/s320/Jun+09+2011+023+Penguin.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">A penguin peers down from an iceberg, wondering what I am doing at midday walking in such a hot place. He’s been here so long his feathers have fallen off and hasn’t noticed the loss. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0f5jp1G_N2bYvI1t5KeGfDIauBbFmRcM7UVazsyUG2smj2BsLBoZSVQaUNgMQYfElsLQBqTIfW_o5dg4rgsROCr1vCayGgcEgPpr-uuy0WoVBF1T1aBCx60YrKnwn0Ecnuka482_YQ0Q/s1600/Jun+09+2011+049+Gargoyle.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0f5jp1G_N2bYvI1t5KeGfDIauBbFmRcM7UVazsyUG2smj2BsLBoZSVQaUNgMQYfElsLQBqTIfW_o5dg4rgsROCr1vCayGgcEgPpr-uuy0WoVBF1T1aBCx60YrKnwn0Ecnuka482_YQ0Q/s320/Jun+09+2011+049+Gargoyle.jpg" width="240" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">A gargoyle, designed to ward off evil spirits, juts out from a cathedral wall. So easily the builders assign spiritual significance to objects in the natural world and reform them for liturgical purpose.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjuoQVCW2eRZ3NKMozzLYKRW_usYm386LFcpzZ-46lHBxd_-JwSylPeTXqt_ZE0Ourj-VnzQ_4qVY4Y51rDPq2oJbmLQiJ9JzbdyKUC5Ch5xR5gROk8M7ycwGEvy2Ndj-83DzgSEe6sXg/s1600/Jun+09+2011+114+Grumpy.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjuoQVCW2eRZ3NKMozzLYKRW_usYm386LFcpzZ-46lHBxd_-JwSylPeTXqt_ZE0Ourj-VnzQ_4qVY4Y51rDPq2oJbmLQiJ9JzbdyKUC5Ch5xR5gROk8M7ycwGEvy2Ndj-83DzgSEe6sXg/s320/Jun+09+2011+114+Grumpy.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Across Elephant Canyon from where I set up camp, Grumpy stands high and proud, sharing his despondence with all who pass here.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHaWbAolx_X6WhvfqROBC7GQjX9t3JmMbcVA51p-gd_EuODFvplOA4-dpzg8c8c_uDI1EqVNKHM9GX4RdWcDAwiyPMCdkNoXOhwBc6Q7HCaB3UXVnhN2Ll4_pBNzaWjMguLx1ii-0Q2I/s1600/Jun+10+2011+001.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHaWbAolx_X6WhvfqROBC7GQjX9t3JmMbcVA51p-gd_EuODFvplOA4-dpzg8c8c_uDI1EqVNKHM9GX4RdWcDAwiyPMCdkNoXOhwBc6Q7HCaB3UXVnhN2Ll4_pBNzaWjMguLx1ii-0Q2I/s320/Jun+10+2011+001.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXBqegL2GhXrJPwVttkGnDYhHPGnq_zjoNkfL_b_pHi1vEI8Ey5ZAjrpCKbnYDcWPirXJdldYbk80qKke4kV-iOZX1fFxu8FgbwxdB2XguK0kzCzFw4TqLR9_CR0AA6_ZPiv9wuhtGMxk/s1600/Jun+09+2011+104.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXBqegL2GhXrJPwVttkGnDYhHPGnq_zjoNkfL_b_pHi1vEI8Ey5ZAjrpCKbnYDcWPirXJdldYbk80qKke4kV-iOZX1fFxu8FgbwxdB2XguK0kzCzFw4TqLR9_CR0AA6_ZPiv9wuhtGMxk/s320/Jun+09+2011+104.jpg" width="320" /></a>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3aghvUzmzfZB8Lo_Pxs39Zdkc_FcHpIPew2Eq86E5FA8EZ9ZaPsum17twFdLm7o2tPEym0gNSNwMOQFPiDMzNVmAJfReouWM0KflsrtynzQr7PAnY5f4jVn1UWHbZmIcxEmAonPXf8I/s1600/Jun+09+2011+093.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3aghvUzmzfZB8Lo_Pxs39Zdkc_FcHpIPew2Eq86E5FA8EZ9ZaPsum17twFdLm7o2tPEym0gNSNwMOQFPiDMzNVmAJfReouWM0KflsrtynzQr7PAnY5f4jVn1UWHbZmIcxEmAonPXf8I/s320/Jun+09+2011+093.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY0dspeVcQoCiGgfx1tcpZA0CrAkk_cB4yPxqikMLfHKeGx-jhArltyzUps_QIEuWKgLzGsXSVYRB6OXx5KirQV6Zz1XhGgWrvxPsOs4gkDhCVphJ0OTEiEiPd-PmpstSMO-LOMlz9v5Y/s1600/Jun+09+2011+094.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY0dspeVcQoCiGgfx1tcpZA0CrAkk_cB4yPxqikMLfHKeGx-jhArltyzUps_QIEuWKgLzGsXSVYRB6OXx5KirQV6Zz1XhGgWrvxPsOs4gkDhCVphJ0OTEiEiPd-PmpstSMO-LOMlz9v5Y/s320/Jun+09+2011+094.jpg" width="320" /></a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3aghvUzmzfZB8Lo_Pxs39Zdkc_FcHpIPew2Eq86E5FA8EZ9ZaPsum17twFdLm7o2tPEym0gNSNwMOQFPiDMzNVmAJfReouWM0KflsrtynzQr7PAnY5f4jVn1UWHbZmIcxEmAonPXf8I/s1600/Jun+09+2011+093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>This whole Needles maze seems inhabited by rare, senescent creatures, frozen hard and cunning. It’s beyond my ability to grasp or utilize a power that seems innate in the ancient and elemental rocks that surround me. What wonders lie in the vast beyond, the millions of years these forms have been in the making. Here before me are bare skeletons of Being, austere, motionless, silent, carrying veils of old mystery. It evokes in me an elusive hint of something unknown, maybe unknowable, but wanting to be revealed. Am I confusing the thing observed with the mind of the observer? Am I painting a word picture of external reality, or is it simply a mirror of the thinker? Maybe these new and stunning rocks have stumbled me into the audacious error of separating the observer from the thing observed. <br />
<br />
I will not give you the destination of the last two days, (it’s getting late now), but will delay your gratification until tomorrow night after a day of relative ease exploring the town of Moab.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular">These last pictures are taken from my camp as the blazing sun settled over the canyon wall, its increasingly red rays mixing with red and white sandstone giants. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2cVn7hf1E_EhgQa-DpfZSMUwJqSkLEgDfS2T4U8n8XfyzagRQch79AJEE1TslLLmRZ4RuM7oo1tKkr3EJ8vuqSxhO-4DBQVKvYvtOBTJuvkQp794ZeaRrqvBusO9XoaoLB7yV_G34Ik/s1600/Jun+09+2011+140+sunset1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2cVn7hf1E_EhgQa-DpfZSMUwJqSkLEgDfS2T4U8n8XfyzagRQch79AJEE1TslLLmRZ4RuM7oo1tKkr3EJ8vuqSxhO-4DBQVKvYvtOBTJuvkQp794ZeaRrqvBusO9XoaoLB7yV_G34Ik/s320/Jun+09+2011+140+sunset1.jpg" width="320" /></a>. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3rrepGtxMPZkCrmPw6r6OZzLvrmzDL-_KUEQWdyM6cPBBUvGXuTZRdBX4qv3modR0e5Wb5e9wKpom0_37pmZTDrOzkc-q3zno8GZBSxsL_BAqOWDqixkao2enyhQ0gfRMlRy_E6D61w/s1600/Jun+09+2011+142+sunset3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3rrepGtxMPZkCrmPw6r6OZzLvrmzDL-_KUEQWdyM6cPBBUvGXuTZRdBX4qv3modR0e5Wb5e9wKpom0_37pmZTDrOzkc-q3zno8GZBSxsL_BAqOWDqixkao2enyhQ0gfRMlRy_E6D61w/s320/Jun+09+2011+142+sunset3.jpg" width="320" /></a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhm5J1RvnQL1q0Q2ugqSWAwHS0JKTkcDjkjjYR5XHXBKaEDMEfPx7yLPFSDCWVG0l7Rfo4uwRhJZH76fSPhuS9Ggu0hv8DSQ6NYPOsLZnY-BQI0v2X88VV16LlSiiWlh4dGGuo07c750/s1600/Jun+09+2011+145+sunset6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhm5J1RvnQL1q0Q2ugqSWAwHS0JKTkcDjkjjYR5XHXBKaEDMEfPx7yLPFSDCWVG0l7Rfo4uwRhJZH76fSPhuS9Ggu0hv8DSQ6NYPOsLZnY-BQI0v2X88VV16LlSiiWlh4dGGuo07c750/s320/Jun+09+2011+145+sunset6.jpg" width="320" /></a>.</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-89253121667496703912011-06-08T17:00:00.000-07:002011-06-08T17:12:09.613-07:00The First Day<div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByPMd0uWvm1JOAGljkAxdnpz5o9AH8go8115EDUcAIJ3HSDOrnT42VsPOXEyRT3F75sgjfXuI0cV5o-eVsDykV3X4uyXHMyl7dngpY_0okLC4m2H_-2Lvk6FlfIq3WhOUtcKtGcJYFbk/s1600/Jun+08+2011+030a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByPMd0uWvm1JOAGljkAxdnpz5o9AH8go8115EDUcAIJ3HSDOrnT42VsPOXEyRT3F75sgjfXuI0cV5o-eVsDykV3X4uyXHMyl7dngpY_0okLC4m2H_-2Lvk6FlfIq3WhOUtcKtGcJYFbk/s640/Jun+08+2011+030a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="Regular">Two hours before the approaching sunrise, the alarm shook me out of sleep. On the first of my twenty-one mornings among rocks of Utah, I wanted the best light, and that would come at dawn I was told. I made the seventy-mile drive into the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park before those first enhancing rays struck the cliffs. Highway 191, then 211, all in darkness until the last twenty miles when red and white ghosts began appearing, taking on the forms of faces, loaves of bread, choirs. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">I park at the trailhead and start out in dry cool air. And when I stop, there is not a single sound, nothing—silence. Suddenly it comes, the flaming globe, blazing on the pinnacles and minarets and balanced rocks, not gradually but with a burst of light. I must be Eve on the first day of creation, it seemed, in full knowledge that millions of days have preceded me.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">Livening and brightening in color and texture with every minute of the sun’s climbing, the rocks seemed animated with changing character. My camera snapped and snapped, but soon I realized I had risen too early. The formations are more vivid a half-hour to an hour after sunrise than at that moment of bright burst.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"> </div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNIdy_mVsimfBMHO6TSP5oyFxKuT3jqAvBNYDYobBUDR5ih87citE2EVSSqwztuch4kQz8I8ON5Oxfw-hKz4-ae7d1Q2U_c8SCWV3BBxAJyi4idMf_MEKBhBvb-gR9RcEKC0XBhRRkuY/s1600/Jun+08+2011+018a.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNIdy_mVsimfBMHO6TSP5oyFxKuT3jqAvBNYDYobBUDR5ih87citE2EVSSqwztuch4kQz8I8ON5Oxfw-hKz4-ae7d1Q2U_c8SCWV3BBxAJyi4idMf_MEKBhBvb-gR9RcEKC0XBhRRkuY/s320/Jun+08+2011+018a.jpg" width="239" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwc2dIyqkc4Y_NSu-XlkicnbzamWo2aSFyCiDsCvxPgfKWYcIhh8hsalmj2JNMaWeLqcRJ6iSPXj6Sx77W1Rpe4d0bmCv6PWkXAkN5YjJ4faXcCfGza0rvPlJ5C5fJ0BxR7Hb4A4pLI8/s1600/Jun+08+2011+024a.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwc2dIyqkc4Y_NSu-XlkicnbzamWo2aSFyCiDsCvxPgfKWYcIhh8hsalmj2JNMaWeLqcRJ6iSPXj6Sx77W1Rpe4d0bmCv6PWkXAkN5YjJ4faXcCfGza0rvPlJ5C5fJ0BxR7Hb4A4pLI8/s320/Jun+08+2011+024a.jpg" width="320" /></a>The trail is mostly on slickrock, a whitish sandstone with many potholes that fill with water during storms. Then, I am told, the spadefoot toads come to life, having lived through the dry spells in a state of estivation in dry sediment in the bottom of the hole. There they wait, patient, perhaps listening for the sound of raindrops pattering at last above their heads. But today the potholes are dry with dirt in their bottoms. I follow these rock cairns which mark the trail.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11br417AAmBt9NLFiZo8WvWMupIBuqhIJtylKHal9b86O7Sk-o5jhyphenhyphennxh6b0pTnGu2gOpnrGf3zW0MNqzH5F2u2MyGn74OXu9vzRvLY1HF5JzV7V4KQAEudzDf9Pju2QVO47x76E7uLQ/s1600/Jun+08+2011+019a.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11br417AAmBt9NLFiZo8WvWMupIBuqhIJtylKHal9b86O7Sk-o5jhyphenhyphennxh6b0pTnGu2gOpnrGf3zW0MNqzH5F2u2MyGn74OXu9vzRvLY1HF5JzV7V4KQAEudzDf9Pju2QVO47x76E7uLQ/s320/Jun+08+2011+019a.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Placements of decorative rock, esthetically chosen, by Chinese no doubt.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTW6x-xbKAk32weUvyECSTp5w1LtHenXoB3MCGDuEiXL12UtOHjD2ZHpggB093ueLMiR0x8B1W9aJAnFwqc30Dqn9Dm8FFDvC-8SK0cvtQtM0SclQu81N7R5YtOxLTjaT50Pg_delLxzQ/s1600/Jun+08+2011+033a.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTW6x-xbKAk32weUvyECSTp5w1LtHenXoB3MCGDuEiXL12UtOHjD2ZHpggB093ueLMiR0x8B1W9aJAnFwqc30Dqn9Dm8FFDvC-8SK0cvtQtM0SclQu81N7R5YtOxLTjaT50Pg_delLxzQ/s320/Jun+08+2011+033a.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It looks like dirt but it’s a living system of plants and animals, a community getting by in a dry hot place. To walk here is to bomb the kibbutz. </div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUnxhUbwmMgeuR1bnmn69VxEnGHAEZC3RiFMlMC8P59ZYuRnioHTwIuew6SWj6HapOp1-qi82xX2enBn3hCj51Hsb2rSBDK86I7rdIh3vJPbMfxHNZLY3QeCvUP4YzJGiSyPTlTaewKRw/s1600/Jun+08+2011+054a.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUnxhUbwmMgeuR1bnmn69VxEnGHAEZC3RiFMlMC8P59ZYuRnioHTwIuew6SWj6HapOp1-qi82xX2enBn3hCj51Hsb2rSBDK86I7rdIh3vJPbMfxHNZLY3QeCvUP4YzJGiSyPTlTaewKRw/s320/Jun+08+2011+054a.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
A giant has passed this way leaving us his shoe. Guess he knew no one would take it.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvryVIxKC9z1zzVU7o-eQaQytso2rWK9BmBanDx6e97JxxscpOmtSsmYWxTwOMBj1k6UQP0m4Dcw4tZckuF0LZtZQWckgUwrhjSLRT3a-IxEuH_9TD2UfdMVfluKV7EUs94lm70zJUXH8/s1600/Jun+08+2011+012a.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvryVIxKC9z1zzVU7o-eQaQytso2rWK9BmBanDx6e97JxxscpOmtSsmYWxTwOMBj1k6UQP0m4Dcw4tZckuF0LZtZQWckgUwrhjSLRT3a-IxEuH_9TD2UfdMVfluKV7EUs94lm70zJUXH8/s320/Jun+08+2011+012a.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDYRImADM0KJ4VJaqiPFF2g-STYEa8yim9Hu6FtilKK1Oyg18rcG_XkyuZyZMBAiDFDXgH7xwe-pL_DqYXN_Cghrsv2FOSWFN5UKrxVfA_9yMcANd4FJ4yI0MGtMMgxPLodBfwEpr5VLs/s1600/Jun+08+2011+009a.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDYRImADM0KJ4VJaqiPFF2g-STYEa8yim9Hu6FtilKK1Oyg18rcG_XkyuZyZMBAiDFDXgH7xwe-pL_DqYXN_Cghrsv2FOSWFN5UKrxVfA_9yMcANd4FJ4yI0MGtMMgxPLodBfwEpr5VLs/s320/Jun+08+2011+009a.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvryVIxKC9z1zzVU7o-eQaQytso2rWK9BmBanDx6e97JxxscpOmtSsmYWxTwOMBj1k6UQP0m4Dcw4tZckuF0LZtZQWckgUwrhjSLRT3a-IxEuH_9TD2UfdMVfluKV7EUs94lm70zJUXH8/s1600/Jun+08+2011+012a.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDYRImADM0KJ4VJaqiPFF2g-STYEa8yim9Hu6FtilKK1Oyg18rcG_XkyuZyZMBAiDFDXgH7xwe-pL_DqYXN_Cghrsv2FOSWFN5UKrxVfA_9yMcANd4FJ4yI0MGtMMgxPLodBfwEpr5VLs/s1600/Jun+08+2011+009a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvryVIxKC9z1zzVU7o-eQaQytso2rWK9BmBanDx6e97JxxscpOmtSsmYWxTwOMBj1k6UQP0m4Dcw4tZckuF0LZtZQWckgUwrhjSLRT3a-IxEuH_9TD2UfdMVfluKV7EUs94lm70zJUXH8/s1600/Jun+08+2011+012a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMY9AUDFBEB2XeXV7pEEmNp5hT-yXtqEr9pjp6DA9EwuByfdt-D0YSXCDNGy2mw3ks7TD-YsdFJTGSrIBr_TsWEvDYMT3MdeOyHFDUMaZeslQ9fMKnLTNzNRCeiY6_d_ez_AyV0P8zppo/s1600/Jun+08+2011+028a.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMY9AUDFBEB2XeXV7pEEmNp5hT-yXtqEr9pjp6DA9EwuByfdt-D0YSXCDNGy2mw3ks7TD-YsdFJTGSrIBr_TsWEvDYMT3MdeOyHFDUMaZeslQ9fMKnLTNzNRCeiY6_d_ez_AyV0P8zppo/s320/Jun+08+2011+028a.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIPXsUeBCghQAby8vJnL56gZZ4p9siY6bnjHypg7NYkUSMVjI5ZsgR59Tbv8LFYa4s3YZ1CzqxGbJJt3OozWOZrKAqR2535zH0PfXBdIFCIsycEQ9FQMhRxGg-w82T4T9ykSk2ZMUcOM/s1600/Jun+08+2011+032a.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIPXsUeBCghQAby8vJnL56gZZ4p9siY6bnjHypg7NYkUSMVjI5ZsgR59Tbv8LFYa4s3YZ1CzqxGbJJt3OozWOZrKAqR2535zH0PfXBdIFCIsycEQ9FQMhRxGg-w82T4T9ykSk2ZMUcOM/s320/Jun+08+2011+032a.jpg" width="320" /></a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNIdy_mVsimfBMHO6TSP5oyFxKuT3jqAvBNYDYobBUDR5ih87citE2EVSSqwztuch4kQz8I8ON5Oxfw-hKz4-ae7d1Q2U_c8SCWV3BBxAJyi4idMf_MEKBhBvb-gR9RcEKC0XBhRRkuY/s1600/Jun+08+2011+018a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11br417AAmBt9NLFiZo8WvWMupIBuqhIJtylKHal9b86O7Sk-o5jhyphenhyphennxh6b0pTnGu2gOpnrGf3zW0MNqzH5F2u2MyGn74OXu9vzRvLY1HF5JzV7V4KQAEudzDf9Pju2QVO47x76E7uLQ/s1600/Jun+08+2011+019a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwc2dIyqkc4Y_NSu-XlkicnbzamWo2aSFyCiDsCvxPgfKWYcIhh8hsalmj2JNMaWeLqcRJ6iSPXj6Sx77W1Rpe4d0bmCv6PWkXAkN5YjJ4faXcCfGza0rvPlJ5C5fJ0BxR7Hb4A4pLI8/s1600/Jun+08+2011+024a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-ymLQbJqCaxzkF922kK9pCD7-mm_anZqJ-7qjz0FC3UjDLCQXa4QSF6a2uoLfQljjCQSid7yWSxkPQPts_qgA_PXfZrd2fJdBTmcafGAwMzzFvU6hMH89o4q6CcXUtk9GulIk5nAsZ8/s1600/Jun+08+2011+041a.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-ymLQbJqCaxzkF922kK9pCD7-mm_anZqJ-7qjz0FC3UjDLCQXa4QSF6a2uoLfQljjCQSid7yWSxkPQPts_qgA_PXfZrd2fJdBTmcafGAwMzzFvU6hMH89o4q6CcXUtk9GulIk5nAsZ8/s320/Jun+08+2011+041a.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7F6iCfhvGAxJwlZ5_mMKUkkZLOG-0ZIBSBkBhv0-xFXvN3L0u-0mRJ2of279pIrpdPJQdDZWICke5fQrR-paE2ynxBijJxPUsCp_2mvGWS3_ng4DTTo8ffFSZAokNnI6nKNnzjd1fgiU/s1600/Jun+08+2011+049a.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7F6iCfhvGAxJwlZ5_mMKUkkZLOG-0ZIBSBkBhv0-xFXvN3L0u-0mRJ2of279pIrpdPJQdDZWICke5fQrR-paE2ynxBijJxPUsCp_2mvGWS3_ng4DTTo8ffFSZAokNnI6nKNnzjd1fgiU/s320/Jun+08+2011+049a.jpg" width="320" /></a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIPXsUeBCghQAby8vJnL56gZZ4p9siY6bnjHypg7NYkUSMVjI5ZsgR59Tbv8LFYa4s3YZ1CzqxGbJJt3OozWOZrKAqR2535zH0PfXBdIFCIsycEQ9FQMhRxGg-w82T4T9ykSk2ZMUcOM/s1600/Jun+08+2011+032a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a></div><div class="Regular"><br />
Tomorrow morning I will shoulder a backpack with two gallons of water, tent and sleeping bag for an overnight stay in a waiting canyon near Druid Arch, deep in the Needles. You will not hear from me tomorrow night.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-14866601948247937452011-06-07T18:43:00.000-07:002011-06-07T19:05:09.652-07:00A Long Journey in Rock<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifToK1b8i-D23yaIWd47JRkAnq_xNWnzN4CTL2_7ZlkFN0RQ6Q1H1xQ9Pc-OLm9EuXqYs32Y2Ba6PHJtEqzzptp57sVMPzuTXSo5KCJxsTjgELlIKm3A7fD1NO05nxwbJjm4GYupltR6E/s1600/Jun+07+2011+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><div class="Regular"></div><div class="Regular">“ They set out from Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, in the wilderness that faces Moab toward the sunrise. . . .the slopes of the ravines that lead to the settlement of Ar and lie along the border of Moab. . . .<span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span>“Fire went out from Heshbon, a blaze from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab.” –Numbers 21<br />
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267"> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="Hyperlink"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style> <![endif]--> <br />
<div class="Regular">Now that I’m in Moab, The journey along I-70 getting here seems too beautiful to match in all my anticipated hiking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See here some of what I saw today.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div></div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifToK1b8i-D23yaIWd47JRkAnq_xNWnzN4CTL2_7ZlkFN0RQ6Q1H1xQ9Pc-OLm9EuXqYs32Y2Ba6PHJtEqzzptp57sVMPzuTXSo5KCJxsTjgELlIKm3A7fD1NO05nxwbJjm4GYupltR6E/s1600/Jun+07+2011+007.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifToK1b8i-D23yaIWd47JRkAnq_xNWnzN4CTL2_7ZlkFN0RQ6Q1H1xQ9Pc-OLm9EuXqYs32Y2Ba6PHJtEqzzptp57sVMPzuTXSo5KCJxsTjgELlIKm3A7fD1NO05nxwbJjm4GYupltR6E/s320/Jun+07+2011+007.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Santa Fe at 7,000 feet and central Utah at the same elevation, their piñon pines look the same.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lBUfd8PtYEnh_ogky7AuL_YvR-3R6QG5ZEZlg9ra_40eD3RCl1Nz0GdlHhe2HeRkhlt4Eb38C2Qu11YXQJjXQiPPtJXUoLTg0RM33-5cN7bSFjG-8Fc3fqdgJCh-019k5ZP_LaGhRJ4/s1600/Jun+07+2011+012.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lBUfd8PtYEnh_ogky7AuL_YvR-3R6QG5ZEZlg9ra_40eD3RCl1Nz0GdlHhe2HeRkhlt4Eb38C2Qu11YXQJjXQiPPtJXUoLTg0RM33-5cN7bSFjG-8Fc3fqdgJCh-019k5ZP_LaGhRJ4/s320/Jun+07+2011+012.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Behind their whitewashed nooks a monster lurks, just the way they knew it would.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GOJAfvHuQWxTS_pWtPzL6bN9c_ZulHypLv3LX3L1nzbMxUpnyXRJ8DbqmrleMuk_qHoQ_XKtef91S4i89Qe9Cb_Gdoi0ot7xqZGeU9jvYtof_y3bn2gynuFo3seVDEjSCsEQ82JxmUQ/s1600/Jun+07+2011+014.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GOJAfvHuQWxTS_pWtPzL6bN9c_ZulHypLv3LX3L1nzbMxUpnyXRJ8DbqmrleMuk_qHoQ_XKtef91S4i89Qe9Cb_Gdoi0ot7xqZGeU9jvYtof_y3bn2gynuFo3seVDEjSCsEQ82JxmUQ/s320/Jun+07+2011+014.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Home is where you find it or build it or set up its pole. It’s where the storms can't get, most of the time.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWgu1Wdo3f7Z30EpR-JYO0QQ930OcNk4wbsVGrD9C6UkHhoILh0-xEY1d72HMwm4t3ti7tJq6rdb8AKTjCasXYa-t-gAUh4h8TT1GJWRLQpjEVp3iLu43QhJ8LW1Z-SwyF-C-I8O5t9M/s1600/Jun+07+2011+016.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWgu1Wdo3f7Z30EpR-JYO0QQ930OcNk4wbsVGrD9C6UkHhoILh0-xEY1d72HMwm4t3ti7tJq6rdb8AKTjCasXYa-t-gAUh4h8TT1GJWRLQpjEVp3iLu43QhJ8LW1Z-SwyF-C-I8O5t9M/s320/Jun+07+2011+016.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Good cross ventilation is the earmark of all desert dwellings.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gaT7H7MwNavEfReUemQa4Q8e_e69FS3vvZVmCUJNCrvbDsbO0BulR4XzMasH3Uf1kM-xL_7EMc6ddWpQnO44v42U1M3BCJXVkD6VO3j0CQS1xMkd7IrGKqYoUrxHLkwwf1viX5B0u2I/s1600/Jun+07+2011+017.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gaT7H7MwNavEfReUemQa4Q8e_e69FS3vvZVmCUJNCrvbDsbO0BulR4XzMasH3Uf1kM-xL_7EMc6ddWpQnO44v42U1M3BCJXVkD6VO3j0CQS1xMkd7IrGKqYoUrxHLkwwf1viX5B0u2I/s320/Jun+07+2011+017.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Landing gear still in place, the petrified giant rests near other Anasazi ruins.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyL8hRz-yu-R4F8GNxurOAdqwhZ3af6tZ02NZSNzFUU-ZynulxD5uGbhDwo-At91AYOfXGu1RZehmN_it6mSZ_X1pBm61Pa6TwDwZ2W2X7uqa0WJNIkvZY64O560pVVC1Yd2VgIzNh5ng/s1600/Jun+07+2011+020.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyL8hRz-yu-R4F8GNxurOAdqwhZ3af6tZ02NZSNzFUU-ZynulxD5uGbhDwo-At91AYOfXGu1RZehmN_it6mSZ_X1pBm61Pa6TwDwZ2W2X7uqa0WJNIkvZY64O560pVVC1Yd2VgIzNh5ng/s320/Jun+07+2011+020.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Many caves between Pakistan and Afghanistan, between California and New Mexico, many places to hide.</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994934174936729819.post-40673334931926610622011-05-26T15:07:00.000-07:002011-05-27T11:04:33.988-07:00In the Beginning was Rock<div class="Regular">I will drive to Moab, Utah, on June 7 and stay until about July 1, exploring on foot most of the trails and some non-trails in a reported wonderland of rocks and canyons. I hope to see the shadow-paintings at sunrise and sunset, and to hike at noontime among the chipping-grounds and pictographs of the Anasazi.</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular">I was inspired to do this back in 2007 when, while riding a bicycle solo across America, I passed through southern Utah. These pictures are from that travel, placed in order east to west. This time I will delve into canyons and ascend mesas, where then I sojourned in what now seems a fast wind.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMdriNF7Aj8t5BJMqvm4htV7jTqBt0bJvhGEFLPe3q6XNNExpXbNmDEHyhxc297FAJ16h6R7ovVLS3NdI87KZRxUkNkNIUEbp7zJ-0734pwjOjQCVATmMeWMRTwso2HLuwr3QMlXkybc/s1600/0809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrOu3q2_GBl5j-a1cF5IgC5yONSkkhffGHkbEaLGRFXSnwVkRjPAlwesmq4I8KdI8kEHj-Zgwv75yxuC5kzk5GyixbISijKGclRYAfbgiN-02_p7rFPrcXD4_Jk21vUNQdV-n2Wz8YHU/s1600/0876.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviwdKkrGk4R0i8-Z9mDhPDB7NwIhjf_OsPbs-7hTINCQRCKtFSvYBQjh5DN4a7jYKnUbGbfkcZOSRWcxFgfMxDJut29NzyPGvIgh3KMf2pTEDLmvBwfQ-jRcqmr0LuGAG-vN3suwaCYQ/s1600/0724.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviwdKkrGk4R0i8-Z9mDhPDB7NwIhjf_OsPbs-7hTINCQRCKtFSvYBQjh5DN4a7jYKnUbGbfkcZOSRWcxFgfMxDJut29NzyPGvIgh3KMf2pTEDLmvBwfQ-jRcqmr0LuGAG-vN3suwaCYQ/s320/0724.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Fifty miles south of Moab</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0V6x7ICVu0xdWvSuUVouWeXjOPSJeJ1O33tnHjc0-VDWtaZMp6csKZ6nooZdBDPLalVlopF08uFnYGKNJzqnVOddWoy7nkDB3C6DrPUv0B1gJsF3zOF9RbYYq8xJIXia-SFoWHp0wOFA/s1600/0729.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0V6x7ICVu0xdWvSuUVouWeXjOPSJeJ1O33tnHjc0-VDWtaZMp6csKZ6nooZdBDPLalVlopF08uFnYGKNJzqnVOddWoy7nkDB3C6DrPUv0B1gJsF3zOF9RbYYq8xJIXia-SFoWHp0wOFA/s320/0729.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Fifty miles south of Moab</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5hIXoYvtNx8FC3kPhnejEBYt2C0WnZ3WP02nFIkZSAJP65qtEhDO7UrWEjW45wEU8rSF9S25t2QxvFVsX6SnYBI7d6fiNdcQ8noXIZ1G3XIXORmHEtvzEem0x7nErtzwky3YNxDWbi4/s1600/0746.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5hIXoYvtNx8FC3kPhnejEBYt2C0WnZ3WP02nFIkZSAJP65qtEhDO7UrWEjW45wEU8rSF9S25t2QxvFVsX6SnYBI7d6fiNdcQ8noXIZ1G3XIXORmHEtvzEem0x7nErtzwky3YNxDWbi4/s320/0746.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Several miles west of Colorado River, forty miles southwest of Moab</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGEUYsEphE0KQ4pBmXNa6w5ZeCCxt5eyb_mnBNlSvebNGfOOd_hVCD4vFC060WE-J2Yle2lInU8BHI1079Bj4XTZlF7EhNM0VyHbI3Dv0mkhesMiP3wGkbOZaxxI-KMew2tfPPXUhHg4/s1600/0771.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGEUYsEphE0KQ4pBmXNa6w5ZeCCxt5eyb_mnBNlSvebNGfOOd_hVCD4vFC060WE-J2Yle2lInU8BHI1079Bj4XTZlF7EhNM0VyHbI3Dv0mkhesMiP3wGkbOZaxxI-KMew2tfPPXUhHg4/s320/0771.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Capitol Reef National Park, pictographs of the Anasazi, seventy miles west of Moab</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMdriNF7Aj8t5BJMqvm4htV7jTqBt0bJvhGEFLPe3q6XNNExpXbNmDEHyhxc297FAJ16h6R7ovVLS3NdI87KZRxUkNkNIUEbp7zJ-0734pwjOjQCVATmMeWMRTwso2HLuwr3QMlXkybc/s1600/0809.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMdriNF7Aj8t5BJMqvm4htV7jTqBt0bJvhGEFLPe3q6XNNExpXbNmDEHyhxc297FAJ16h6R7ovVLS3NdI87KZRxUkNkNIUEbp7zJ-0734pwjOjQCVATmMeWMRTwso2HLuwr3QMlXkybc/s320/0809.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Eight miles west of Boulder, Utah, one hundred miles west of Moab</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div><div class="Regular"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrOu3q2_GBl5j-a1cF5IgC5yONSkkhffGHkbEaLGRFXSnwVkRjPAlwesmq4I8KdI8kEHj-Zgwv75yxuC5kzk5GyixbISijKGclRYAfbgiN-02_p7rFPrcXD4_Jk21vUNQdV-n2Wz8YHU/s1600/0876.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrOu3q2_GBl5j-a1cF5IgC5yONSkkhffGHkbEaLGRFXSnwVkRjPAlwesmq4I8KdI8kEHj-Zgwv75yxuC5kzk5GyixbISijKGclRYAfbgiN-02_p7rFPrcXD4_Jk21vUNQdV-n2Wz8YHU/s320/0876.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Bryce Canyon, 160 miles west of Moab</div><div class="Regular"><br />
</div>Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08759609166941428668noreply@blogger.com5