Description

I own no land, instead I have wheelestate. I’ve been a full time RVer since 1997. Working summers as a Park Ranger takes me to many beautiful places and playing during the winter takes me to many more. This blog is simply the story of my life's adventures.

Moved

Thank you for stopping by. Just to let you know, I'm still blogging but have moved to Geogypsytraveler. Hope you'll follow my adventures. Just click here.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Park Ranger training South Rim Grand Canyon National Park – Day 3 Part 3

01 Mike Anderson historian, training, SR GRCA NP AZ (1024x753)

Mike Anderson, historian, took us on a journey back in time during a special shuttle ride west on the Hermit Road.

02 Canyon & river view from Pima Point, training, SR GRCA NP AZ pano (1024x876)

Lt. Joseph Christmas Ives traveled by steam boat 350 miles (563 km) up the Colorado River in the 1850s. After the boat was wrecked on rocks he and the crew hiked up to the South Rim. Ives’ report to the Army stated, “The region is of course altogether valueless. Ours has been the first, and will doubtless be the last, party of whites to visit this profitless locality."

John Wesley Powell journeyed down the Green and Colorado River in 1869 and again during 1871-72. He led the first known successful navigation and scientific exploration of the river.

03 SR GRCA Village from Maricopa Point, training AZ (1024x766)

El Tovar on far left and Kolb Studio on right

By 1905 the Santa Fe Railroad reached the South Rim, the Kolb brothers opened their photographic studio, and El Tovar Hotel and Verkamp’s Store opened.

President Theodore Roosevelt established Grand Canyon National Monument in 1908 and in 1919 Congress passed the bill making Grand Canyon a National Park.

Friday, June 25, 2010

South Rim Grand Canyon training Day 2 - Mission Possible

“Your mission which you should accept because you don’t have a choice is to become familiar with the sights and sounds of the South Rim.”
01 Cloud shadows over NR & cave in Redwall from Rim trail to Yavapai, training, SR GRCA NP AZ pano (1024x574)  
Cloud shadows over the North Rim
This was our first day of training challenge... (read more here)

Thursday, June 24, 2010

SWF – Still burning

01 Schultz Fire & Mt Humphreys from NR GRCA NP AZ

The Schultz fire just north of Flagstaff on Mount Humphreys has spread to 14,500 acres, covers 22 miles and is only about 25 percent contained. Confirmation that an abandoned campfire started this mess.

02 Schultz Fire & Mt Humphreys from NR GRCA NP AZ

Last night’s report estimates that it will take two weeks to contain this inferno. It’s not over yet.

03 Schultz Fire & Mt Humphreys from NR GRCA NP AZ

Residents have returned to their homes after the valiant effort of firefighters. 

To see more views of skies from around the world that hopefully don’t include smoke, or to share your own, go to Sky Watch Friday by clicking here.

Pano SkyWatch Friday badge

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Blooms at Grand Canyon

01 Hedgehog cactus bloom Cape Royal NR GRCA NP AZ (1024x756)

What a difference a week makes. I was out at Cape Royal yesterday giving a geology talk and noticed these Hedgehog cactus blooming. Wonder what will be blooming next week.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Table Mountain

01 Sunrise across False Bay from Moonglow B&B Glen Cairn Cape Pennisula ZA pano (1024x280)

I got up very early at Moonglow B&B to visit Table Mountain and the drive was gorgeous. On World Environment day in 1998 President Nelson Mandela declared Table Mountain ‘a gift to the Earth.’

02 Clouds covering cable car portal on Table Mt NP Cape Peninsula ZA (1024x722)

The upper cableway portal towers 3563 feet (1086 m) above Cape Town and slipped in and out of the clouds. The clouds flowing over the mountain, known as the ‘Tablecloth’, form when moisture laden air is blown in from the sea and condenses over the mountain. The precipitation clings to plants and rocks filtering down through cracks and fissures resulting in springs and streams that replenish the water-table. Cape Town’s Khoi name, Camissa or ‘Place of Sweet Waters’ suggests the mountains vital role in providing pure fresh water along an arid coastline.

03 Complex for cable car ride up to Table Mt NP Cape Peninsula ZA (1024x767)

A power outage shut down all the computers and tickets couldn’t be sold for a while. So I wandered through some sales stalls hoping for a change.

04 Cableway mechanisms & generator Table Mt NP Cape Peninsula ZA (1024x756)  Then the generator was fired up but the cableways couldn’t carry their normal capacity of 65 and moved real slow.

05 Old cable car from Q for cableway Table Mt NP Cape Peninsula ZA (1024x682)

Officially opened to the public on October 4, 1929, the first cable car had a tin roof and wooden sides that carried 20 passengers.

06 Cableway going up to portal Table Mt NP Cape Peninsula ZA (730x1024)

The new revolving cars came into use 68 years later and carry 65 passengers at 800 people per hour. The car can carry a weight of 11464 lbs (5200 kg) and it usually travels a maximum of 32 feet (10 m) per second.

07 Lions Head, Signal Hill, Table Bay & Cape Town from Q at Table Mt NP Cape Peninsula ZA (1024x419)

Not so this day, so I waited 2 hours in the Queue enjoying the view.

08 Table Mt trailhead sign Table Mt NP Cape Peninsula ZA (933x1024) Maybe I should have hiked. In fact I later talked to a couple my age who hiked up in 2 hrs.

09 View SW to N Table Mt NP Cape Peninsula ZA pano (1024x380)

Finally got to board the cableway and go up where the clouds mostly blocked the, what should have been, spectacular views.

10 Cableways at top Table Mt Cape Peninsula ZA (791x1024)

I was totally amazed at the apparatus to move these cable ways. The length of the cables is 3937 feet (1200 m) each and they weigh a total of 18 tons. The cables are attached to counter weights each weighing 134 tons.

 11 Portal & cableway Table Mt NP Cape Peninsula ZA (1024x762)

The cableway is round for two reasons; for excellent aerodynamics in high winds and so the floor can rotate giving 360 degree panoramic views. When the wind does blow there’s a water tank below the floor of the cabin that keeps things steady. When there’s no wind, the tank is emptied at the upper station.

12 Relief map of southern Africa Table Mt NP Cape Peninsula ZA (1024x755)

This great relief map shows how far away major cities around the world are, Chicago 8490 miles (13663 km). Table Mountain National Park stretches from Signal Hill in the north to Cape Point in the south encompassing the seas and coastline of the peninsula. The narrow portion of land with its many beautiful valleys, bays and beaches is circled by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the warmer waters of False Bay in the east.

13 Both cableways Table Mt NP Cape Peninsula ZA (757x1024)

My views may not have been superb, but I’ll bet on a clear day you can see forever. Named in 1503 by Admiral Antonio de Saldana when he anchored his fleet in the bay and climbed the mountain naming it Taboa do Cabo – Table of the Cape. Yet long before the Europeans, the local Khoi people called the mountain ‘Hoerikwaggo’, The Mountain of the Sea.

14 Dasie Table Mt NP Cape Peninsula Za (1024x741)

I settled with observing the wildlife. These Rock Hyrax, or dassie, look like overgrown guinea pigs. Believe it or not, the dassie’s closest relative is the African elephant.

15 Cableway coming into upper portal Table Mt NP Cape Peninsula ZA (1024x768)

I too soon ran out of time trying to wait out the clouds and caught the cableway back down…

16 Going down in cable thru cloud Table Mt NP Cape Peninsula ZA (768x1024)

…through the Tablecloth.

17 Lower portal going down in cableway Table Mt NP Cape Peninsula ZA (1024x756)

After all, I still had to return to the Cape of Good Hope and see penguins on my last day in South Africa.

Monday, June 21, 2010

MWT – Fire on the Mountain

After one fire started by a careless camper near Flagstaff Arizona was 31% contained at 280 acres on Saturday another fire Sunday morning, Schultz Fire, also presumably started by an abandoned campfire has now burned almost 10000 acres and caused the evacuation of at least 1000 homes. Highway 89 east and north of Flagstaff is closed and traffic is being routed through Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim.

DSCF7470 - Copy (1024x677)

The smoke is visible from the North Rim.

When camping in National Forests anywhere, but especially in the Southwest where there’s been a drought for over a decade, PLEASE be Extremely careful with fire. If you have to build a campfire it doesn’t have to burn six feet tall and needs to be put DEAD out!

Please pray for all the firefighters and people involved.

To see more of what’s going on in the world go to My World Tuesday by clicking here.

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Sunday, June 20, 2010

Visit Grand Canyon’s North Rim

01 Delux cabin NR GRCA NP AZ (1024x767)

Western Cabin

You could stay in one of the almost 100 cabins available reserved through Forever Resorts. But think about making planning way ahead.

I’d love to show you around.

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