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, October 9, 2010

Rain and Snow

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Almost three days of rain on the North Rim at 8250 feet (2499 m) equals snow on Mount Humphreys at 13992 feet (4265 m). This view is about 60 miles south of the North Rim.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Promise of a new day

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After three days of almost solid rain and up to 24 hours with no electricity many visitors left the park earlier than planned Wednesday.

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Light in the sky showed itself about an hour after power was restored to the Lodge.

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A couple hours later all that remained, or at least cared to look, were gifted by a glorious sunset.

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It only gets better than this when the next one comes along.

Also the promise of another year. I’ve been blogging for two years as of yesterday.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

SWF – Walhalla stormy skies

01 Fallen tree along Point Imperial trail Walhalla Plateau NR GRCA NP AZ (1024x741)

Monday, plus Tuesday and Wednesday for that matter, we’ve experienced rain with thunder and lightning. But that didn’t keep us in the house on our day off.

02 Canyon, Marble Plateau & beyond from Point Imperail Walhalla Plateau NR GRCA NP AZ (1024x726)

On Monday we took a ride out onto the Walhalla Plateau in the rain and it was so amazing. I love being at a place long enough to really see all the many moods. Pure sunlight is not always the best.

03 Storm over 2000 Outlet burn & fall aspen Point Imperial trail Walhalla Plateau NR GRCA NP AZ (1024x768)

We started to take a walk along the Point Imperial trail which leads through a decade old burn with walls of fall glow aspen and a few pines taller than I am.

04 Stormy skies south from Point Imperial Walhalla Plateau NR GRCA NP AZ (1024x638)

Yet the dark and menacing clouds sent us back to the safety of the truck just in time to stay dry. The clouds built up and raced towards us from the southwest. But we continued to explore other viewpoints into the canyon.

05 Stormy skies clearing over Wotons Throne & canyon from Cape Royal Walhalla Plateau NR GRCA NP AZ (1024x414)

And finally made it to Cape Royal where we sat out more rain waiting for a light spot that pushed the clouds towards us. Certainly worth it even though we didn’t stay too long at the end of the trail. A new storm approached.

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To view more skies from around the world, or to share your own, go to Sky Watch Friday by clicking here.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

My kind of Wall Street, no banks and it’s all uphill

01 Looking down canyon on Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (759x1024)

After hiking the .7 mile (1.12 km) downhill winding through the fins and hoodoos…

02 Hoodoo view from bottom of Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x768)

…we found a place a little off trail and across a dry wash to have lunch and enjoy the views looking up.

03 Hoodoo view from Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x755)

First part of the return hike was easy and took us past many awesome sights.

04 Mike looking into Wall Street Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT pano (651x1024)

Then we came upon the start of “Wall Street,” a narrow crack between the fins to begin our assent.

05 Warning sign at start of Wall Street Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x753)

And this our warning.

06 Wall Street Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (768x1024)

Yet I felt surrounded by an ancient serenity.

07 Hoodoo people look down on Wall Street Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x738)

As the elders looked down upon us, the small.

08 Looking down Wall Street Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x679)

And many of us walked this trail (some dressed for a casual walk along the NY Wall Street)…

09 Mike coming up Wall Street to arch Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x760)

…under arches…

10 Hoodoos above Wall Street Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x768)

…below more of the stone people.

11 Gaelyn taking photo on large rock in Wall Street Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT by Mike (1024x856)

I pause so often to take photos…

12 Looking up Wall Street Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x768)

…I barely notice the climb as strenuous.

13 Hoodoos tower above Wall Street Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (882x1024)

Maybe the ancients give me strength.

14 Mike along Wall Street Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x768)

We neared the top and joined the heads of stone.

15 Looking across the hoodoos & beyond from Wall Street Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x606)

Mike said he had a stiff neck from all the looking up.

16 Looking down Wall Street Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (805x1024)

Now we looked back down.

17 View from top of Wall Street Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x768)

Such a magical and captivating landscape that I want to return and immerse myself amongst these Ancients again.

 18 map of Navajo Loop trail (313x161)

The Navajo Loop trail is only 1.3 miles (2 km) long with a 550 foot (167 m) drop in elevation but it took us four hours to hike and over 1000 photos between us.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Trouble posting on blogger?

01 Windows Live Writer on screen (1024x768)

I’m reading a lot of complaining about problems posting on blogger. I too was tired of fighting with the layout. So I tried Windows Live Writer. If you’re a windows user, try it. I think you may be able to download it free. At least check it out. For you Mac folks, I don’t know what to say. Maybe Wordpress is the way to go, I haven’t looked into that.

Monday, October 4, 2010

MWT - Hiking Navajo Loop (downhill) at Bryce Canyon

01 Mike & Gaelyn Navajo Loop trailhead Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x915)

After spending a day touroning around all the overlooks  (more posts coming) and looking down on the hoodoos, fins, windows, arches and bridges the next morning we took a trail into the canyon. 

02 map of Navajo Loop trail (313x161)

The Navajo Loop trail is only 1.3 miles (2 km) long with a 550 foot (167 m) drop in elevation.

03 Navajo Loop trail thru arch & surrounded by hoodoos from Bryce Point Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x768)

The trail winds under arches of orange and yellow…

04 Hoodoos & windows along Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x738)

…past windows to a blue world…

05 Thors Hammer & hoodoos along Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x768)

Thors Hammer

…and below towering hoodoos full of faces.

06 Switchbacks between fins & hoodoos on Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT pano (565x1024)

Then down switchbacks between the fins and into a different world.

07 Hoodoos above Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x768)

Almost eye level with this amazing geology. Hoodoo, a pillar of rock, or, to cast a spell, maybe both.         

08 Two Bridges just off Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (768x1024)

Two Bridges

The oldest gray-brown rock at the bottom was deposited by repeated seaways during the Cretaceous Period between 144 to 65 million years ago.         

09 Hoodoos & grotto along Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (768x1024)

For the next 25 million years, in the Tertiary Period, rivers and streams flowed into an ancient freshwater lake and deposited iron-rich, limy sediments that became reddish-pink rocks, the Claron Formation, from which the hoodoos are carved.         

10 Winding between fins & hoodoos on Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (768x1024)

After uplift, the steep slopes along the plateau’s rim allow increased erosion scouring off softer rock, creating gullies with enough soil for pines and firs to reach for the sky.

11 Hoodoos & fins from Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x559)

…and leaving harder rock as fins…

12 Hoodoos above Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x729)

…which continue to erode into hoodoos…

13 Rhino head hoodoo along Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x768)

…of the most whimsical shapes.         

14 Hoodoos from Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x614)

Paiutes living in the area when settlers arrived from the east called hoodoos the “Legend People” whom Coyote had turned to stone.         

15 Hoodoos & beyond from Bryce Point Bryce Canyon NP UT pano (1024x353)

Named after mormon Ebenezer Bryce who built his home and ranch in the Paria Valley in 1875 with the canyons in his back yard.         

16 Hoodoos above Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x768)

In 1923 President Harding proclaimed part of the area as Bryce Canyon National Monument and in 1928 legislation passed that changed it to a National Park.

17 Mike between the fins along Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (756x1024)

After hiking down .7 miles (1.12 km) we began the assent into Wall Street. More to come.

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Sunday, October 3, 2010

Scenic Sunday – Hoodoo you think…

a1438 Hoodoo face along Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x814)

The magic of hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park let the imagination soar. I felt an ancient presence of peace surround me.

Hoodoo you see?

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02 Hoodoos along Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon NP UT (1024x768)

To view more of the hoodoo magic come back tomorrow for My World Tuesday.

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