FALL UTAH TRIP 2008

November In Southern Utah

From the trip in the spring going thru Utah Dan Nesthus and I saw way to many 4WD possibilities to be away for long. So with the possibility of fall colors and slot canyons we decided to do a fast run up there and shoot. The trip was about 11 days long in the Avalanche and tent trailer. What a truck!!!

I was excited to get to a few places I had on the list for the March trip but didn't get to. Zebra Canyon and Antelope Canyon were two of them. We also found the jump off point for the Subway hike. I was also excited to give my Hasselblad camera a test run out in the field. This was the first trip with it so getting use to it was an adventure. Like the time I noticed I failed to remove the dark slide from the interchangeable back only after taking a roll of film in Antelope Canyon........ouch!!! But thanks to the digital camera I always came out with something.

Best part for me was.............hard to say. All of it was so cool, some actually cold. Temps at night were in the 20's or low 30's. We saw rain and snow, sun and clouds so it made for good photo days. Longest hike was about 6 miles round trip.

Good hikes and great fun. Now I need to combine these photos with the ones taken in March and get them on the wall and some on the web site.

Next trip is back to Saginaw to take my dad down to Alabama in the 5th wheel. Something he has wanted to do for some time now.

Big Horn Sheep In Utah

Antelope Canyon
Kodachrome Basin


Lower Calf Falls

Devils Garden By Escalante

Hermanson Hike 2008

July 31 to Aug. 14th

Nine hikers, six Llamas, 40 pounds of liquor and "55" miles of trail (turned out to be 80) all make for a great time in the Sierra. This year it was Me, Peter Oberg, Mike Root, Jim and David Hermanson, Brian Hearton, Don Adams, Charlie Johnston and Art Arnett.

Lots of singing around the campfire is expected so I brought some songs. The favorite one this trip seemed to be "Put Another Log On The Fire". The standard "I'm A Lumberjack" was a good time too. All the drinking ensured we all sounded great also.

Me, Peter Oberg and Mike Root left a day early to see a few sights. Bodie ghost town, Mono Lake and Rusty's Bar in Bishop were the hits. Feeling a bit apprehensive due to my hip stiffness made me want to take take it easy. But with all those miles ahead I figured it would be better to train for the hike by drinking heavily at Rusty's. I had another opportunity the nigh before at Virginia Creek Camp where we all met the night before the hike. I found the combination quite effective along with Motrin.

I'll not go into each day of the hike because we have a "scribe" (Don Adams) that takes care of that. But it was another successful hike lasting some 12 days. It took us from the trailhead of Buckeye to Dorothy Lake, Tilden Lake, Kerrick Meadow and back to the trailhead. The final trip filled up 3 DVD's with movies, slideshow and data of everyones pictures.

Hardest day for me was climbing up out of Stubblefield Canyon then down into and then up out of Kerrick Canyon. The Sierra is a beautiful place but it is work to get back in there.

Best days were the stopping days at Lakes Tilden and Dorothy. Time to take in the views, I pretend to fish, the fish pretend to bite and everyone is happy.

Pictures in the first slideshow are from various hikers in the group.
The second slideshow is the theme song from the CD Wanted! The Outlaws.


SLIDESHOW FROM ALL OF US


THEME SONG

Lake Powell/North Rim Grand Canyon

Horseshoe with no rain Sunset over Lake Powell

North Rim
North Rim
Aspen trees around North Rim

Lake Powell: Weather showed a lot of rain and cold. This actually gives some of the most dramatic skies but the clouds did prevent any regular sun for most the time I was there to do Antelope canyon after the wave. So instead of spending all day in the slot canyons waiting for sun to poke thru with 50 other people with cameras I decided to return another time when the sun was more cooperative. I spent more time at the Horseshoe, the surrounding Colorado River area and then left for the North Rim.

North Rim: I've heard it said that the North Rim was not as majestic as the South Rim. After being there I can only say that it is like comparing looking at the Eiffel Tower, Halle Berry, Brad Pitt (you get the idea) in different ways. Something spectacular is gorgeous from any view. I arrived a day earlier than the reservation but there were sites available so no problem. I spent two days along the rim trails and forest with the white bark Aspens. The last day was quite sunny and made for an enjoyable last day out before I headed for home. After two months I was ready to get home and sift thru the mound of photos I've accumulated over the past two months. But knowing I'd just scratched the surface of what is out there and that a return trip will be soon coming.

Home now, I need to develop film; process the digital pictures; take care of cars, trucks, and house projects before I head off to Michigan sometime in June. I can see this first year of retirement will be busy. But not knowing what the future brings I feel like I need to accomplish as much as I can while time is on my side.

That's all for now until the next trip. Looking back the time went fast and if the rest of the year goes this fast I'll be looking at my 62nd birthday in no time. But by that time the senoir discount will be 65 because nowhere did I see a 55 senior sign for a discount. One last comment though. So many of the people I met out on the trip were from Europe who were taking advantage of the exchange rate in their favor. Good for business certainly but I did long to see more people from here taking a break from working so hard and enjoying the sights like I was. Perhaps that will happen during the summer vacation spree should gas prices ease. Ballance in life is what it is about for me and I am glad to be trying to achieve it from the fun side of things instead of the work side of things for a change. Only time will tell......

Later

THE WAVE

Me finally making it to The Wave Typical sand trail heading out toward the saddle on the left. This was unusual because the sand trail was not uphill.
Typical trail looking back.
One view of the wave.

An area around the wave Area in the wave

Stranded


The Wave: I think the wave deserves its own entry. You can find pictures of the wave in many fine art photographic studios but you’ll not find one with me standing in the front.

I had some concerns after going thru Canyonlands with Nesthus and the rough riders. Would my neck be up to a long hike, would the weight of the pack be to much for my shoulders?......Ha!, not a problem, but my poor feet!! After hiking in all that sand and over the edges of all those rocks, not to mention running for cover to get to the marginal shelter while it rains and hails (more on that later).

The day had everything, overcast, blue skies, wind, calm, hot, cold, hail and rain, thunder, lightning. Of course you gotta take the pictures that day sometime so it was a matter of timing for the sun. The sun did appear, but not a lot so I felt lucky to get the ones I did. I did use both digital and film and confident I came back with something I can hang in the bathroom.

I got an early start at 7:00 am from camp here at Lke Powell because the trailhead is about ½ hour down the highway then ½ hour down a dirt road. So I was on the trail about 8:00am. The sun was out and it was a bit warm even then so I was glad I took the 2 liters + to drink. All the way points were programmed into the GPS and it gave excellent results. I had maps from the BLM sent with the permit. They had pictures of the trail but the GPS loaded with 6 points from the maps the BLM gave in the maps really gave me confidence I was holding to the trail.

Finally to the wave it is something to see. How it got the way it is and the colors and contrasts it has is difficult to imagine until the blowing sand hits you with such force you find yourself instinctively covering all your exposed areas of skin. It hurt due to the size of grains the wind could whip up and throw at you. But the whole area is something to see. Given better weather there is a lot to explore in the region so going back is something I would not mind doing. It was difficult to believe I was actually standing there looking at this place I've seen only in photos. I must say, it is better in real life.

After a few hours exploring the area there and dodging blowing sand and rain and waiting for sun (which did show), I decided to head back and take pictures along the way of the many things passed up to get to the wave. The weather had other ideas.

I’ll remember the wave from the pictures certainly but it’s hard to explain how exposed I was on the way back to mother nature. Walking over the rock with the rain starting to come down I could not see any shelter in the form of rock overhangs and the trees are minimal help. In addition the constant thunder and a few bolts of lightning in the distance made the situation seem like out of survivor where you don’t want to get under a tree anyway. But just as it was about to open up I saw this little overhang to crawl under. So I stuffed everything under it and watched as the hail and rain came down.

Trick is knowing when to keep moving I guess. So when things let up I bolted for some other shelter (never did find another) the rain had let up but the thunder kept on. Walking across open rock with the aluminum lightning rod (hiking stick) Peter and family gave me I figured this was it………

So I got a little wet the rest of the hike out but I’m sitting here in the camper (it’s raining) and I am none the worse for getting a bit wet and I got pictures of the wave like I wanted. I do have a lot more pictures but what is posted is just a few.

That’s it for my first hike to the Wave. One hour and 45 or so minutes each way. I think this would be a good winter hike. I would not want to do it in the summer for the same reason I don't want to hike the dunes of Death Valley in the summer. This would be a good Llama hike perhaps with photo gear, llamas carry the photo gear of course.

Mesa Verde/Utah

Mesa Verde.....cold

Totems
Arch Monkey Off My Back Dan's New Hat
House On Fire in B&W. We also have the color versions of this. For a house on fire it sure was hard to find!!

Goblin Valley

Switchbacks to Shafer Canyon Just Don't hurt the Cheese !!!

Classy Moves by two wild and crazy guys. The RV chicks dug our duds and and vastly superior IQ. Good thing they were all in walkers so we could get away. Ryan's Graduation, Christopher taking the picture.


Mesa Verde/Utah: After a few days in Farmington I was ready to move up to Cortez and meet Dan. It was good to have a travel partner that brought drinks!! Cortez for two nights was cold but Mesa Verde was so worth it. Crawling around the ruins bumping heads on rocks, climbing ladders was good adventure. These same type dwellings are all thru the southwest and I can’t help wonder how did the know-how spread from one corner of the region to the other without blueprints or written language? Word of mouth was the ranger’s viewpoint. Looks like it must have been a hard life.

Monument Valley: Such a classic. I got back to the Totem Poles like I wanted and Dan got to the Valley like he wanted. We were on a very red dirt road in the Avalanche that seemed to absorb the red sand into every seal and hinge. A week later I still don’t have it all washed out. But the valley is beautiful as the many photos taken will show.

Misc up to Arches: So the great thing is that the trip can be adjusted for things like weather. It started to rain when we were camped at Bluff Utah. But we managed to see some great places anyway. House on Fire ruin, Natural Bridges Nat’l Monument, and the coolest drop-off going down into Mexican Hat and the “Little Monument Valley”. Natural Bridges is a certain “do over” because it is just to cool not to hike. So after all that, the next morning it was raining more. We decided to go to Goblin Valley where it might not be raining and take the Hwy 95 up there. That was an incredible day due to the scenery along the way. That road gets a “do-again” because there is just to much going on to take in with just one trip. Goblin Valley camp was full after that drive so after our nighttime rock painting we decided to look at the BLM land opportunities around the area. Sure enough, found a perfect spot with others around too, camping for free is so good!!!

Arches: Off road to Tower arch was a great little 4x4 adventure. So was the hike to the Delicate Arch overlook……”do-over”. We didn’t have the time to spend on walking to the arch so that is a must for next time. So between the off road and hiking to the various arches it was another quick to sleep evening.

Canyonlands: How can you spend just one day in Canyonlands and say you’ve seen enough? Take the switchbacks down into Shafer Canyon out to the Potash Ponds and back into Moab. Ouch, uffff, bump, bang…….etc. It was bumpy the whole way, 3 hours or so of it. We did the best we could to minimize damage to the jeep and ourselves but I did get sore from the ride…..Motrin is my friend. But it is so cool down there I would label that as a “do-again” with a smoother ride. Pictures abound around every corner, just a great drive……..but watch out for the bumps. Glad we took time to do the overlooks first, the sun and clouds made for very picture perfect overlooks at Dead Horse Point, the Grand Overview and points between.

So the camp at Moab was excellent but we didn’t get to spend enough time there. There were giant gaming sets that could have taken up all evening. But we did try to get our best on and impress the other campers with brilliant moves and classy dress.

Last but not least: Dan and I drove down to Fullerton so he could drop me off and see my son Ryan graduate Magna Cum Laude from Fullerton State, one of only a few President Scholars to get such honors. The proceedings were hot and some 4 hours long, but worth every second to see this milestone in his life. I have no basis to compare the incredible string of academic achievements he has put together since…….grade school thru middle school thru high school and now thru college………wow! Some company will be lucky to land him and that process is still in works.

Today (Sunday 18th): is a fix camper day, laundry and sit by the pool…it is so hot. The next event is the Wave on the 21st. I will enter the wave, antelope canyon and North Rim in the blog before I get home. This has been an excellent kick-off to a retirement.

Cochiti/Santa Fe/Farmington

Cochiti Camp

Jamez Waterfall
Bandelier
Tent Rocks
Cool Train

Bisti Badlands Best Of Friends

Tent Rocks /Bandelier/Jemez Falls/Santa Fe:
Cochiti Dam is the base camp for Santa Fe and these sights. The dam is weird because it is an earth dam and confusing as you drive up to it because I can’t tell if I am looking at an expanse of water or what. I have never seen an earth dam wall this big. The camp sight is nice and so near the Tent Rocks I can see why I chose this sight. I will end up going to the tent rocks twice to get sun into the slot canyon there. There are two trails, one to a cave and the other thru the slot and up to the top of the tent rocks plateau. The climb is very much like Cowles Mountain in San Diego if the first half was almost flat. Then in the last ¾ mile you use stairs and foot holds cut into the rock to get to the top…. excellent hike. First time thru was good for the tent rocks and summit but the slot was mostly shaded. Tomorrow (Wednesday) I’ll time it for sun in the slot.



Bandelier: They say the average lifespan of the Anasazi, woops “Ancestral Pueblo people” that lived in these collectives was 35 years. So by that count I have worked 20 years longer than most of them before I retired. None of them I assume had medical coverage either. At least not as good as we have now even going to the free clinic. But not many people I know would want to live in a mud and stone house with no running water, shower or bathroom. But I’m sure the Llama trekkers wouldn’t mind. We can live like that for weeks at a time, of course I assume even the Ancestral Pueblo people had some form of alcohol. After all, they were not uncivilized.



Jemez Falls: Lots of hiking and carrying the photo gear has gotten me tired looking at these places. When I saw that Jemez falls was a mere ¼ mile from the trailhead I thought at last an easy day. Bur wait, when I got to the turn off from HWY 4 to the Jemez Falls Campground the gate was closed!!! The trailhead is at the end of the campground, so I had to hike the 1.5 miles or so just to get to the trailhead. Light gear this trip, just the digital camera. The falls were nice but having seen Yosemite I would not list this as a gotta go back and see. But definitely not something to pass by if here, with the road OPEN!!



Santa Fe: One day spent in Santa Fe swimming and chores and sightseeing. The cool thing was the train outside the pool I went to. The Santa Fe 5011 class steam engines were the coolest looking ever I think. We use to have one in the model railroad set from Lionel probably like many others. I have never seen one before; the posted information says only 4 exist of this series.
After all the wind, Deb flies into Albuquerque and we have three nights of calmness in Santa Fe for camping. That was good timing. Mike and Caroline met us and the 4 of us had a blissful uneventful few days together. Fun yes; it’s just that the 4 of us don’t always have a good track record when it comes to vacations like this without disaster hitting. Let me tell you about a misadventure involving a guy named Wade and a transmission in Las Vegas……….no… not enough time, besides, those days are past us now and nothing but good times ahead. So it was a few days of water coloring, hiking, photo’ing, DVD’ing, and in general just hangin out with good friends. Two websites to note: (http://www.lisakristine.com/images/index.html) which is one of the galleries we stopped at and of course one place to find Mike (http://www.spacedinoart.com/) .



Farmington: This was base for Bisti, Aztec ruins and Shiprock. But the lazys got me and I am passing on the Aztec Ruins. Hit Bisti twice and I could, if energy permitted, go there again tonight, but just not feeling up to it. So tomorrow it is Shiprock, 4 corners and seeing what brings as I head up to Cortez to set up camp and welcome Dan Nesthus & co. on a week’s leg of the adventure thru Mesa Verde, and Moab. P.S great aquatic center in Farmington with lots of lanes open.
The film is getting spent so many pictures to process when I get home both in the darkroom and on the computer. I know the next few weeks will use a lot film heading into Utah, can't wait.

That's it for now. Keep the adventure alive (after a good nights sleep).

Roswell/Valley Of Fires/Large Array

Roswell/Valley Of Fires/Large Array: No flying saucers unfortunately. I thought for sure, after all the signs I saw before I left for the trip!! Did go into the UFO museum and out to the Bottomless Lakes State Park. The park was very photogenic with both color and B&W opportunities. Temps are hanging in the 90’s and it I did not break out the view camera again due to strong winds. Fortunately the 2 ¼ and digital are lower profile so I can usually get the shots I need with those. Clouds are still a rare thing. Lots of hikes for the photos and that is always good. The New Mexico Military Academy had an excellent pool that was open to the public at certain times and I took advantage of that.
The Valley Of Fires Park is a nice camp. Not much around but the lava beds is good adventure both during the day and at night.
Speaking of clouds being a rare thing, it is Saturday and I have hit the Petroglyphs Park and am in Alamogordo again waiting for the evening to fall so I can see the Full Moon in White Sands. So as I need to wait for a number of hours yet guess what fills the sky?? Yes , an overcast of clouds in abundance. This could prevent the moon from showing tonight. But my only choice is to wait it out to see and if need be stay here for another day for a chance tomorrow night.
Sunday 4/20: Well there is now a reason to get back to White Sands. The night was a perfect cool and windless evening with some good photo ops. I did get to see an awesome full Moon rise. But alas, the cloud cover was such that after about 20 minutes it went behind the overcast, not to bee seen except now and then in a haze. The night was far from a loss though as sunset and night photos took up the time. Today has been very windy so I moved out of the Valley of Fires and on to the Large Array. Snowed going over the pass to get to the VLA. Even though it is also very windy here the dishes don’t seem to move so much they will blur a sunset picture. The one in the blog is before it gets really dark even though I had to paint it with the spotlight anyway. I did get to see them all swing about 122.7 degrees away from the Sun. They were in a perfect position for sunset shots. They seem to move them every 45 minutes or so. So eerie standing out among all the dishes at dusk, with them silhouetted against the sky, like in the other picture. Seems so otherworldly.

Wednesday April 23: Just added the pictures for the past week or so. In Albuquerque now and seeing things around here as well as getting some things taken care of. Then it's off up north for the Tent Rocks, Bandelier, water falls etc. Picked up some more 4x5 film here and even in a big city like this 4x5 film is slim pickins. Only got one box of 10 of the color print film. But that should last for the next few weeks being that I still have lots of other types to pick from in my film bag.

That's it for now. Hope all is well with everyone and may there be little wind in your days.

Ruidoso 4/14

Ruidoso Sunday/Monday 4/14: Spent the days exploring the mountain community and surrounding areas. Sunday was spent traveling up to the Monjeau fire tower. The sign at the start of the dirt road said the road was closed. But I figured I would go as far as I could until I encountered a gate or roads too bad to transverse around. Road varied from good gravel to lumpy glad I have the truck. After some 6-7 miles on an upward course I passed by an unlocked gate, so I kept going. Once at the top I was glad to see a ranger truck. She was actually up in the top part of the tower. Glassed in with what looked like good communication equipment. Just me and the ranger, for about ½ hour, then another car with a couple and little kid from California of all places (Orange County) also going to Santa Fe. Then more cars and trucks and many more people came. Seems as if this was the first day that the road was officially open after the winter shutdown even thought locals say they had little snow this past winter. The last ones up said one of the rangers was taking the road closed sign down.
Monday was spent (for the most part) at Bonita Lake. You know the scene well, that fresh water smell with the pine trees, the sound of a soft cool breeze thru the pines, warm sun on your face. I was mainly intent on the photo aspects of the lake so not catching any fish was OK today even though I tried. Only a few along the shore were catching any today anyway. The closest guy next to me told me of the past weekend fishing contest where the winner won $500 for the largest trout. By the way the llama in the picture I saw on the way up to the lake was actually in the same corral as horses. Although they were not near each other.
Three nights in the pines has been great, away from the wind (will start up again tomorrow I am told) and wonderfully cold at night. Got the heater running in the camper for the first time this trip. Found a great beer, Alien Amber Ale and I'm not even to Roswell yet......till then.

Alamogordo 4/10

Thursday 4/10: The past two days have been to windy to be out in the dunes, even though I did early this morning for a short while. Winds are suppose to calm down tonight so perhaps between Friday and Saturday I can see the things I would like and move on the the next location. Carlsbad or Ruidoso seem to be the next choice. This wind has kept me from a good nights sleep for two nights now and I think an early sleep is in order. Had to get up at 6:15am to get to the dunes before the wind got to bad............I'm feelin it. Difficult to build a fire too. But all is goodness cuz there is more than enough to do on windy days.

The pool here is again under a dome and 25yds x 50yds. Diving boards at the deep end, general area at the shallow area and lap lanes between. Had all the lanes to myself.

I could have included a picture of me in the dunes but I figured everyone wanted to see the truck instead.........good lookin truck. Sky's look clear and the trees are not bent over so tomorrow looks promising.

Till the next post........

Alamogordo 4/8

Tuesday: Need to get the Geronimo video in here. Went to White Sands this morning 8:15 or so. Need to get there earlier for more time and better sun angle. Tomorrow morning I'll get up at 6:30am to be there when the gates open at 7:00 am. This place like all the others is sort of taking what you get in terms of conditions. No clouds still, past the agavi bloom, etc. But this trip is to see these places to see which ones would be good to come back to at various times of the year. Spent last night watching the NCAA finals in the Chili's bar. Didn't get back to the camper till 10:00 and felt like I was going to wake all the campers with my rustling thru the film changing bag to change out spent 4x5 film............do I really need to do this? The 4x5 still has it's place. But the digital and 2 1/4 format is so easy to work with. I know now that I will only be taking the digital and 2 1/4 on the hike to the wave. So who does Geronimo remind me of??

Las Cruces

Friday 5th: Getting into Las Cruces was cool because of the surrounding mountains and all the dust devils. Still every day I see them around the city. Camp at Leasburg State Park is nice. Flat cement pads for the camper, covered picnic table and a fire pit. Temperatures are a pleasant 70-80 degrees during the day and sleeping bag cool at night. Stars are brilliant. Photographing of note is the Organ Mountain peaks. They are the most prominent peaks surrounding Las Cruces. I need clouds though to help pop the sky in the photos and have had little luck for clouds at least around the peaks. But that is the way the photo journey goes, you explore and take what nature gives you that day. Friday night I spent sunset out at the mountains base for sunset picts and could not believe the number of rabbits running around. They were shy but managed to get a few shots of them on the run.
Saturday: Today I got up late and by the time I got going it was 11:00 am. USED THE GPS AGAIN that so many pitched in to get me. I had the address of the swimming pool so I just keyed it in and Bamb! Took me right there, ½ hour to soon before they opened but once in, the water was nice and cool for swimming. The sides of the building open up for the outdoor feel. In the picture it’s under the dome. Swimming was the first thing on my list to do. So after getting a few supplies it is about 3:00 pm and I wonder where the day went? I haven’t done any exploring yet so better get to it. I will keep looking for clouds over the peaks but clear skys again today.
The one of the post and backlight brush are the kind of “artsy” things that take up most of my day. This one I did in color and B&W film. The digital B&W I think looks better so I am encouraged for the film versions. Lots of other attempts during the course of the trip but If I can get 5-6 that are “wall worthy” it will be a success.

Sunday: After a morning looking at a couple places that seemed like early morning light would be interesting, it was pancakes, coffee, eggs and a trip up to Truth Or Consequences. There I got the treat of the Geronimo Museum. So I give a hint at the end of the vodeo as to who Geronimo reminds me of. I’ll need to post these later because I have not processes them yet. Library in Alamogordo is where I’ll stop for another update. Until then, doing well on the road, having fun and finally got the RC car out and running a bit. Did I mention the laser beam of a Coleman 3 battery lantern? It lights up the entire camper that little thing. Used it a lot when I have no electricity in the camper to save the battery the camper has. Till Alamogordo, keep the journey alive.

Monday 7th: Alamogordo library. Oliver Lee is 10 miles out of town but better for the stars, quiet and hiking. Will not go to White Sands till tomorrow AM. due to the wind right now.....but that means an early get-up. Till then I will publish this post and check emails and do finance stuff. I could easily spend 2 hours a day just in the library. Got to take more time for other things other than photos...........even though that's where the most fun is for me. Like a kid in a candy store with all the options..........ya, I'm lovin it.

Later.