Labor Day Square Dance Weekend

2-5 Sep 2011

Circle 8 Ranch Campground

Near Cle Elum, WA

Our Aliner Sport in Site 35 at Circle 8 Ranch

C.J. and I just began square dancing again on 1 Jan 2011 after a twenty-five year hiatus.  Back then, we had been dancing Challenge (C-3) Level which entailed two-to-three nights a week of practice and dancing.  That was a bit much for two teachers, to say the least, and when hang gliding came along we gave dancing up for a new addiction. 

Now that we have a mini-RV (Aliner pop-up trailer), a square dance weekend at a campground seemed like a fun way to both camp and dance.  The major concern was that we would be missing some great flying.  As it happened, Saturday was blown out or too east, and Sunday turned out to be not so good either.  Monday – well, we’ll see.  We will be pulling out of here at noon anyway so there may still be flying in our future this Labor Day.

(dance hall at Circle 8)

2 Sep, Fri – We hooked up the trailer and left around 1730 and found little traffic until we hit some slowdown at Hyak and along Lake Keechelus.  Still, we pulled into Circle 8 at 1814 and found our slot right next to an enormous RV.  There were lots of trees but the sites were pretty much cheek-by-jowl with each other.  Not a problem; we’re here for the dancing, not a wilderness experience.  We heated up supper and cleaned up in plenty of time to get to the “trail-in” dance at 2000 called by Kevin Thommaier and Ray Brendzy, the two callers for the weekend.  All dancing, except for an hour on Saturday devoted to Advanced, was at the Plus Level, so we did not have much difficulty once I got over not having danced for a month. 

3 Sep, Sat. – It was cooler than expected overnight and the furnace felt good in the morning when we got up at 0800.  By 0900 it was warm enough to have breakfast outside on the picnic table liberated from Kevin and Linda’s campsite.  There was no rush because there was an hour of clogging workshop followed by an hour of round dance wkshp, before the 1.5 hr square dance workshop starting at 1100.  We had been considering flying in the afternoon but reports indicated it wouldn’t be worth the drive to Rampart or Saddle. 

So we were on hand for the “shotgun start” of the potluck dinner.  Close to 200 people were seated at tables in a circle at the dance hall with their potluck dish in front of them.  At 1730, the signal was given for everyone to stand and move to the right to fill our plates (or, in the case of most veteran potluckers, sectioned trays!).  It was a pretty effective method and eliminated the long time spent standing in line waiting to get to the buffet table, or waiting for your table to be called.  The evening dance began at 2000 (1930 for pre-rounds) and everyone was wearing traditional square dance dress.  At 2200, after the dancing, there were root beer floats, followed by several skits which were offered up as an “after party”, including a team of seniors pitted against some young dancers who attempted to identify TV clips from each other’s generation, e.g. “Animaniacs” and “Lone Ranger”.

(hot dog feed set up at Circle 8)

4 Sep, Sun – It was cool again.  Someone said the temperature in the morning was 38 deg.  We ran the furnace for a bit and prepared breakfast inside the trailer.  There was pretty much the same schedule as Saturday until 1300 when we had a big hotdog and corn feed with lots of salads and chips and desserts potluck style.  We shared our picnic table with a couple of other couples whom we had not met before.  Then there was a Wiffle-golf tournament all the rest of the afternoon.  C.J. caught up on some sleep she had missed last night since we didn’t do the golf contest.  There was no potluck dinner this night but we didn’t need another big feed, anyway.  The evening dance was fun but didn’t seem to be very “plus”– certainly not compared to the all-position routines that Kevin uses at the Tuesday workshops and on Casual Fridays.  A slide show of the weekend followed the dancing.

5 Sep, Mon – We got up around the same time but didn’t have to prepare breakfast since there was a pancake feed in the dance hall from 0830-0930 – some were blueberry pancakes, too!  Back at the Aliner we started packing up and got everything ready to go except disconnecting the 110V, 15 amp AC (Our neighbors were plugged into the 30 amp service), and hooking up to the Trooper.  The trail-out dance featured guest callers who were present for the weekend – Steve Rossseck, Andy Garboden, and Tom Clymer.  As soon as the last “Thank you!” was finished, we hurried out to hook up and get on the road before the crowd.  It was not a problem since it appeared that many folks were staying for another night or, at least planning to eat dinner together at the Mexican Restaurant in Cle Elum.  Traffic on I-90 was slow as far as Easton then picked up to near-normal speeds.  We considered stopping to see who was flying (or thinking about flying) at Rampart, but the wind, while westerly, seemed a bit strong.  We did spot Ben de Lisle near the bridge as we crossed Gold Creek.  We got home around 1245 and got unloaded and cleaned up.  There were a few things we had forgotten but C.J. has notes so we won’t forget those things when we take off for our big trip later this month. [Later we heard that the hang glider pilots had good flying at Rampart.]

Southern Oregon and the Coast

 24-30 August 2011

 Sylvan, Paula, C.J.

This trip has become almost a tradition in a few short years – it’s a chance to visit with our paraglider friend, Barb, at her yurt near Woodrat Peak, and with C.J.’s pre-kindergarten friend, Paula and her family who have a vacation trip together at the coast.

24 Aug, Wed – C.J. and I made the familiar trip down I-5 to the yurt with stops for gas at Covington and Eugene.  We detoured to the Woodrat LZ around 1730 to see if anyone was going up to fly the glassoff.  We saw someone high above the mountain and some overdevelopment behind so we figured it wouldn’t be a good night to fly.  We got to the yurt around 1800 or so.

C.J., Barbara, George, yurt in the background

25 Aug, Thu – Hung out in the shade with Barbara until noon; it was too hot to go hiking or to fly midday.  We went down to the Applegate library to collect email, etc. and then went over to Cantrall-Buckley Park for a dip in the icy river – even colder than usual it seemed.  We met a number of other pilots at the Longsword Winery at 1700 along with Kevin Lee and some students.  C.J. got a new PTT and an offer to fix and return hers by mail all for $50.  The flying was good and several of us got up above Woodrat Peak and flew to Longsword (A glassoff first!) where we had left the Outback.

26 Aug, Fri – A repeat of Thursday except in the afternoon C.J. and I went to Applegate Lake. The water was low but the blackberries were ripe.  We didn’t have much time because we wanted to get back to Longsword to meet folks for the glassoff.  We checked out the osprey nest which had a large bird perched in a nearby tree, and the RV park to see where Christian might have landed to get the $100 prize.  Back at Longsword there were another group of pilots ready to fly again so we went up and launched from ‘Mid”.  Again we got up and were able to fly to Longsword.

27 Aug, Sat – Around noon we went in to Medford to get gas at Costco and buy some chips and fizzy water for the party.  We also figured on having a Costco hotdog for lunch but there were so many food samples that all we needed was a very-berry-sundae for dessert.  On the way back we stopped at the strawberry stand and they still had some of the “worlds best” strawberries so we got a couple of pints to bring to our next stop.  The library was closed when we got there just after 1400 but the wi-fi was still available from outside, and Barb was there for an afternoon swim in a nearby pool in the Applegate River.  Back at the yurt, there was shade and we spent some time cleaning and setting up tables and chairs.  [I disconnected the negative wire on the battery to make the CEL go out – stayed off all the way home].  Unusually, people began arriving right at 1830, mostly women friends of Barb.  Some neighbors and some paraglider pilots showed up also (Kevin and Heidi with Enatai, Sam Crocker and his wife, Donato with Athena (?) his wife, Wayne, and probably others. Juan, one of our guides from Ecuador, also came with Kevin!)).  There was lots of food including an abundance of rotisserie, home-cooked and fried chicken.  We had brought WAY too many chips and Perrier, but better too much than too little.  Cleanup wasn’t too bad and we got to bed in the yurt not much later than usual.

28 Aug, Sun – We were on the road by 1030 and took the scenic route down the Umpqua River from Sutherlin to Reedsport.  Rte 101 up the Coast was not particularly busy for the last weekend of August and we arrived at 4990 Surf Pine Lane, Waldort, where Paula, Stephen and their family greeted us and found time for a walk on the beach.  We had a big, thick slab of salmon for dinner, cooked on a charcoal grill.  The huge rented house is just adjacent to a broad, sandy beach and accessed by a private path.  It was fun to catch up with Paula and Stephen’s grown-up daughters, Heather and Courtney, and see how much Sylvan had grown.  We also got to talk hang gliding with Ryan who had learned from James Feiser while living in the B’ham area.

29 Aug, Mon – We took a long walk on the beach up toward Waldport and had another delicious fish dinner, this time of fresh, line-caught tuna also cooked on the grill on oiled aluminum foil. (Put it on for a couple of minutes, turn it, cook for another couple of minutes then take it off the grill – it looks raw in the middle but is perfect.)

30 Aug, Tues – We got started home around 1030 and stayed along the coast after Lincoln Beach, driving through Pacific Beach and Tierra Del Mar (parking lot for the flying site is now gated).  We stopped to look at the Cape Lookout launch and stopped again on Hwy 6 at a new Tillamook Forest Interpretive Center (complete with a suspension bridge and fire lookout tower).  After two more stops – one for my free Starbucks birthday gift drink in Longview, and one for gas and a roasted chicken at Covington Costco - we got home around 1900.

Chelan, Stormy and Stehekin

25-30 July 2011

George, C.J., Wally and Ginny on the Lady II en route to Stehekin

***Remember, you can click on any photo to see a larger version. Click "back" to return to the blog.***

Ginny and Wally were taking their summer getaway and invited us to join them in Chelan, then go to Stehekin with them. Tom and Lori were willing to rent us their house for most of a week and Ginny made arrangements for the boat to Stehekin and a place to stay for a night. It was a good plan and the weather cooperated with sunny skies and moderate temperatures.

25 Jul, Mon - C.J. and I left home at 1500, stopped at Lone Pine for cherries (Bings @ $0.99!) and got to Tom and Lori's at 1815. Ginny and Wally had arrived about an hour earlier and had already settled in. C.J. had brought along some dal bhat for dinner and baked a "loaf" of pita bread, too.

26 Jul, Tues - Ginny made a scramble for breakfast. Later, around 1100, after C.J. completed some CBCC business, we left for a hike to Stormy Mtn (7198'), the highest point in the Chelan Mountains (the range on the SW side of the lake). (Somehow we had left home without any local maps, not even a WA gazetteer; luckily we ran into a USFS ranger who had a map of local hikes for us.) It was a long drive to the trailhead at Windy Pass (6100') but the trail turned out to be much better than I expected. The 1.5 mi single-track path climbed the ridge with only two short switchbacks staying mostly in the limber pines, and there was an incredible display of wildflowers along the way. The summit was broad and without any structures although it looked like there was a foundation for something like a fire tower. We met only one other hiker and he was coming down just as we started up. Descending the trail was much faster than the ascent and we were back in time for appetizers with Ginny and Wally (who had ridden their bikes into town and then come back for their vehicle and gone to lunch at a winery near Manson) before a dinner of beef stew.

27 Jul, Wed - After Ginny cooked French toast for all of us we left for the Butte about 1030. Doug and Denise were there with students and flying from Lakeside to Lone Pine LZ. Doug pointed out that it was blown out down in Cashmere/Wenatchee and it would probably blow out on the Butte soon also. Although cycles were coming up Ants (and dust devils between the rocks), the general wind direction remained west, up the Lakeside launch. [Meanwhile Mer, Steve T, Jim and Bill had arrived, and Tom, a Canadian flying a Mantra, was ready for his second flight. Dave Verbois, whom we hadn't seen in years, was also on launch with his daughter.] I got ready to go even though all the students and even Doug were finding no lift. I launched before Wally and sank as I crossed to the spine. Just barely clearing the power lines on the upper part of the spine, I found light lift and climbed slowly above launch level. Eventually I got over the towers and continued climbing under a newly-formed cloud. No one else had launched after me; apparently the west wind had died and the XC pilots were waiting on the more usual takeoffs. I wasn't all that crazy about the conditions in the air so when I got to 5000' I headed north hoping to find lift along the way to Deer Mountain. There was nothing and I passed over Walmart checking out a new, grassy area that seemed to be a city park. I made it almost to the top of Deer but did not find any workable lift and turned back toward Walmart. Wally meanwhile had launched and reached 6000' and followed me across. Somewhat energized by his presence, I worked some bubbles off the lower cliffs along the highway but didn't find enough to climb out. I crossed the WM parking lot (lifty) and circled down over the new park. Looked good, better than the weedy lots closer to WM. It was pleasant to land in the light breeze from the lake on new grass (36 min), and it wasn't all that hot packing up in the sun. Wally landed shortly after I did, and then C.J. passed high overhead, got up again on Deer and continued on to the airport where she landed in the old campground. Ginny picked us all up and we returned to the house for lunch. Much later we heard that Mer and some of her group had flown as far as Wilbur (60 mi). Late in the afternoon C.J. and I went out to get gas, cash at the ATM, and a rotisserie chicken for dinner. Tomorrow we are off to Stehekin, a long-delayed item on our bucket list.

28 Jul, Thu - We all got up early enough to do breakfast and still get to the Lady of the Lake boat dock by 0800. By 0830 we were pulling out on our way to Stehekin, a trip we've wanted to do since we first came to Chelan in the early 80's. The Lady II is the slowest way to get to Stehekin - we wouldn't arrive until close to 1330 what with stops at Fields Point, a couple of cabins, and two backpacker trailheads.

After checking in to the Stehekin Landing Resort where we shared a large room and deck with Ginny and Wally (photo, below left, view from the deck), we had lunch at the restaurant. (Yes, THE restaurant; the only two other eating places, the bakery and Stehekin Ranch, are some distance from town but reachable by National Park Service red shuttle buses, private taxis, bicycles and on foot.) Ginny and Wally rented bikes for 24 hours and we also decided to rent for a couple of hours since they were relatively inexpensive ($4/hr). Heading up the Stehekin River road we passed the NPS Purple Point campground, the organic garden, the bakery, and the old and new schools before reaching the short trail leading to Rainbow Falls, a 300-foot waterfall roaring and spraying mist. We had it pretty much to ourselves with the shuttle not arriving until we were leaving. Ginny and Wally continued on up river to Harlequin Bridge and beyond while C.J. and I retraced our route. This time we stopped at the old one-room school (which C.J. had applied to when we first moved to the northwest) with schoolwork displayed from its last years before the new school opened in 1989 (?). The new (two-room) school was also open for us tourists and it looks like they have a capable and imaginative teacher from the project displays. Next we made the obligatory stop at the bakery where we shared an excellent slice of blueberry pie a la mode. The organic garden was our last stop and it had a great assortment of healthy-looking veggies, including some we did not recognize. Back at the resort we turned in our bikes and walked up to the Golden West NPS visitor center (located in the old Golden West Inn building) and looked at the exhibits and gallery. Then we returned to our room and took showers to get ready for dinner which we had reserved for 1900. Dinner was great; the half rack of BBQ ribs was excellent and C.J. enjoyed her panko-breaded salmon.

29 Jul, Fri - We had breakfast at the restaurant (pretty much the only choice since there really is no grocery store in Stehekin). We were ready early for our kayak rental so Dianne at the kiosk called Adam to set us up for 0830 instead of a half-hour later. C.J. and I got a Current Designs plastic tandem with a rudder. While Ginny and Wally were getting their singles (also with rudders) we started paddling across the lake. About midway across (0.35 mi), the wind picked up and small whitecaps formed. We continued on to the pictographs on the cliff face directly across from Stehekin Landing. From there we paddled north following the shoreline around the head of the lake and passing a boat-access campground. We returned to the marina and returned our kayak having paddled about 2.8 mi in a bit more than an hour. (Kayak rental was only $15 per hour for a tandem). We got back to the room early enough to finish packing and clear out before the 1030 deadline and stowed our gear in a shed near the kiosk. Wally and Ginny went to return their bikes while we headed off on the Imus nature trail loop which had a guidebook (plastic-coated) that pointed out the different environments we passed through and some of the peaks that were visible in the distance -McGregor, Buckner, Boston and Sahale, some with glaciers. When we reached the end of the trail back on the Stehekin River Road, we found another much shorter trail that took us to a log cabin and an old water-turbine generator. Back at the resort we bought a sandwich, visited "The House That Jack Built", a local crafts shop, then headed south on the Lakeshore Trail. We probably covered 1.5 miles or so mostly in pine forest, crossing the occasional creek, one of which had had a major blowout this spring and the bank was piled with rocks and gravel. We had lunch on a rocky point with a good view of the lake and Castle Mountain. On the way back we saw the Lady II arriving at Stehekin so we knew we had an hour before it was time to get back on board for the trip down the lake. That gave us plenty of time to pick up an ice cream bar and Mrs. Field's sandwich for dessert. We boarded shortly after 1400 and picked a spot in the cabin out of the sun. The NW wind was strong enough that the 14 knot speed of the boat did not make any wind, and at times the flag was blowing forward. We made only three stops, at a cabin, at Lucerne and at Fields Point, before reaching the Lakeside dock at 1800. Back at Tom and Lori's, C.J. made a stir fry from the leftover chicken and veggies for dinner.

29 Jul, Fri - After breakfast, laundry and cleaning up the house we headed home. One stop at Lone Pine to pick up some more local, inexpensive cherries (Rainier, $1.89). Ginny and Wally met us at home and around 1615 we left for Puyallup to have dinner at Mama Stortini's with Uncle Harry and Cousin Jim.

More photos here.

Rat Race 2011

Top finishers in sprint Class (women): Martina, C.J., Sarah, Susan, Debbie

17 - 27 Jun 2011

I think it might be C.J.'s ninth consecutive year of attending the Rat Race, a paragliding competition held at Woodrat Mountain in southern Oregon near Medford. Many of the regulars at this meet are convinced that it's the next best thing to a guided paragliding tour to a foreign country: expert advice, rides to launch and retrieves, good flying every day, not to mention snacks, drinks, and parties.. Even better, for us, is that C.J. pays the entry fee and I piggyback the same benefits by working part-time as a volunteer.

17 Jun, Fri - We left home around 0930 (but then turned around to pick up our collapsible water jug, expected to be needed if we camped at Whaleback after the meet), got gas at Covington, picked up a replacement radio antenna at HRO in Tigard, gassed up in Eugene, and arrived at HQ around 1815. We filled out all the forms and waivers, bought our Woodrat annual visiting pilots membership ($30) and drove out to Barbara's yurt. This year there was a real bed and the ceiling and floor had been insulated. The fly in the ointment was the ants under the pillow, a real nest of them with eggs and all. We dumped them outside and put our sheets and covers on the bed. Even with the new insulation it was pretty chilly with the temperature in the 40's.

18 Jun, Sat - Practice day. There were lots more pilots than Mike, the meet organizer, had expected, but with a full-size school bus plus a number of private vehicles we all got to launch. I took off about 1150 with rain visible to the west. There was very little lift and I landed 12 minutes later along with Dave Wheeler, Brad Gunnuscio, Matty Senior and a few others. C.J. landed as I was finished packing my gear. We got back to the HQ and then drove to Costco in Medford for lunch and for C.J. to get her glasses adjusted and new clip-ons for me. We also picked up some ant spray at Fred Meyer and then went back to HQ for some meetings at 1800. After the volunteer meeting (I'm in charge of garbage removal at HQ and have some other short-term jobs) and pilot meeting we had a baked potato dinner at HQ then drove back to the yurt.

19 Jun, Sun - Since parking at HQ was limited, Mike requested that some people park at Fiasco Winery and take the shuttle to HQ. We got up and left the yurt early enough to catch the last shuttle in time for the pilots meeting. We put our wings in a former bread truck and rode up in one of two full-size school buses after the meeting. I launched early (around 1145) during the pilot meeting. I sank from the N launch then got up above take-off over the main spine. I lost the thermal and sank to mid-launch where three wings were climbing. I didn't seem to be able to coordinate with them and tried other areas but did not find lift. Over the LZ I found strong lift for a moment but ended up landing into the wind uphill to the east. All the other pilots landed right after I did. I walked over to Fiasco to pick up the car. Then I hung around HQ, checked email, visited with Martin, USHPA Exec Dir. C.J. showed up around 1630 having made goal at Hart LZ. We returned to the yurt to wash up then at 1800 went to Cantrall-Buckley Park for a benefit dinner. We thought the Cuban sandwiches and two fresh salads were very good, but not everyone agreed. We had a chance during dinner to catch up on what our friend Scott Ernst from NM has been doing. He reported no flying in NM due to high winds, and no Alamagordo fly-in this year). Back at the yurt we did the best we could to repair C.J.'s blown-out speedbar loop - should hold together until we can buy or borrow a replacement.

20 Jun, Mon - We parked at Fiasco and shuttled again but there were only a few pilots that did. We were all up on launch by 1030 and I took off around noon (about 15 min before the Race) from N launch, worked the spine with a few others then left for Woodrat peak. I got to 5200' w/o any gaggle and crossed to RabiesLW on 1/4-bar arriving slightly above the ridge. There was no lift until I passed the cell tower on the way to Fiasco and then I climbed to over 4K and went to Rabies. There was no lift to tempt me to do the WoodLN-Rabies-Burnt-Rabies-HartLZ task. I went back to the cell tower and climbed again to over 4K, flew toward FlyAir then crossed SR 238 along the Cantrall-Buckley Road, then S to Longsword Winery for about 53 min. I ate lunch there with some Spanish red wine then got a ride back to Fiasco after watching the two big gaggles (160 pilots in the two-part meet this year) merge as the Race pilots returned to WoodPK while the Sprint pilots swarmed above WoodLN waiting for the start clock. C.J. made most of the course but had to land 4 km short of the goal. I hung out at HQ, napped, emptied some garbage and later sat in on Jeff Farrels"comp mindset" mentoring session (Remember "Whatever!" for collapses, and "being Gumbi"). I helped setup and serve dinner (the scholarship fundraiser), dumped some more garbage and then we returned to the yurt about 2100.

21 Jun, Tues - This morning there was a free pancake breakfast at Fiasco followed by the a.m. pilots meeting at 0830. A lunch of BLT sandwiches was served on launch by the Hangar Crew, a group of retired men, friends of Mike and Gail. I took off at 1215 and thermalled along the spine with others getting to 4400, crossed to the cell tower near RabiesLW but did not find consistent lift and went out to land at a thermally Longsword LZ after 35 min. I ate lunch there in the shade then walked to Fiasco, returned to LONSWD for my wing then hung out at Fiasco until C.J. called on "memory 24" to say she had landed in the LZ. [C.J. had had a big collapse high over Woodrat, on recovery the wing had surged far in front and below her. She fell though and the wing reinflated and she flew away and continued flying for a while.] We returned to the HQ and hung out until time for Jeff's mentoring session then went to Las Palmas in Jacksonville for the Mexican buffet. We visited with Rick "Doc" Shallman and Maryanne and Bob Peloquin of Santa Barbara at our table. Back to the yurt by 2130

22 Jun, Wed - Only the four of us Humbug residents showed up at Fiasco to park and take the shuttle. The advantage was that we got to leave our gear on the white bus shuttle and take that to launch a little earlier than was the case with riding the school bus. I launched north and got up ; at 4800+ I crossed to RabiesLW on bar. I arrived low and caught a thermal and worked back up to 4K and flew back toward Rabies until I got down to 3.6K. Then I turned around and headed back to the tower in choppy air. From the tower I went west a short distance, not even to the next ridge. Suddenly my wing fell behind me and I fell back: a full stall! I did not think or react fast enough (or even remember the right move) to hold the wing in the stall until it stabilized. Instead, the wing inflated, flew forward and down in front of me and I fell through the lines, just as C.J. had the day before. The wing inflated with a really loud CRACK and started to spin to the right. I went "hands up" and then added right brake to recover without a big pendulum. Back in normal flight mode everything looked okay and I flew for another ten minutes without finding any good lift before going out to Fiasco where I set up across the creek and landed in the parking lot extension safely away from the power lines. No one was around so I hung out in the shade and ate lunch before driving back to HQ. C.J. rode down when the task was stopped for the Race and cancelled for the Sprint group after the winds picked up strongly. While I was at Fiasco I watched many wings flying overhead on the way to land at LONSWD, the goal for the day. Later we attended Jeff's mentoring session and then went to Mike (Steed) and Paula's wedding party at Fiasco. There was a great catered dinner with Fiasco wine and a crowd of mostly pilots.

23 Jun, Thu - We found no lack of parking at HQ when we arrived at 0815 for the 0830 pilots meeting (which started late). On launch lunch was hot dogs grilled by the same Hangar Crew. I launched around noon and was able to thermal by myself getting up to almost 5000'. The second time, above MID, I crossed to RabiesLW on quarter bar but I was really nervous about any twitching of my wing and after only a short time returned to land at Hunters LZ with Maryanne P. We got a ride back to HQ with Dillon and I hung out there the rest of the day until C.J. arrived. Then we went to Fiasco for a catered BBQ ribs/fried chicken dinner by McKee Bridge. We headed back to the yurt early enough for us both to get cleaned up.

24 Jun, Fri - Chris A. had been staying at the yurt with us since the second night but last night he stayed in town after picking up Patricia who would be joining us. After another 0830 meeting we had Andrew, the new RR photographer, set up a group photo (small part of the group with C.J., left). Then, getting to launch early, I took off and got up enough to cross to Burnt (first turnpoint/start cylinder). I came in above the TP and worked spotty lift until a sink cycle put me below the ridge. I went to the bare spine and caught a good one that got me to 5000+, then I crossed to RabiesLW. I didn't find anything there; it may have been too early. Back at Hunters LZ I hit an unlucky thermal and landed downwind fast enough to have to do a PLF roll.

25 Jun, Sat - Last day of the Rat Race. The meeting was at 0900 and once we got up to launch I took off at noon and got up on the spine above MID. I crossed to RabiesLW but lift was broken and rough. I got up twice before leaving to fly past FlyAir and then south over the low ridge across the Applegate R near Cantrall-Buckley. LONSWD was my final landing zone and I hung out there for a while, ate lunch and then caught a ride with a Portland pilot who was a friend of Hakan, Dwayne, Law, et al, back to HQ. While I was checking email Gail asked me to drive the Civil van and I made a couple of runs to LONSWD to pick up those who had made goal (or just landed there).


Later we had a lasagna dinner, live music by The Hired Guns, beer and margaritas before the awards ceremony. C.J. got two certificates - one for being in the top five women in the Sprint and one for being on the winning team (Team WWCJD - all pilots who had CJ as their initials -or JC in Josh Cohn's case). C.J. passed up a chance for a t-shirt as a prize and instead got what she really wanted - a new speed bar. I continued to try to keep the garbage cans from overflowing and also did some dinner cleanup and dishwashing. We headed for the yurt around 2200. Chris and Patricia weren't far behind.
(Photographer Andrew, Dean Stratton, Chris A, Josh Cohn, Rich Hass
Marty Divietti, C.J., Mike Haley, and CJ Brockway)


26 Jun, Sun - We didn't sleep in late because all the yurters were meeting CJ(b) and Derek in Jacksonville for breakfast. We cleaned up the yurt and went to the Mustard Seed where we had quiche and scramlets on the patio. Chris treated everyone (including Vikram from TX and a HG from Elsinore) at the table! Then Chris and Patricia caravanned with us up the scenic route to Crater Lake (after stops to buy fresh strawberries at the field, and gas at Costco). At the entrance (where there was a slow line of cars) we switched passengers so we could use our "golden geezer" cards for free admission.
Snow was piled up alongside the road where we stopped for a cookie break and was several feet deep at Rim Village where we got some photos from the overlook. Chris and Patricia continued on alone since they had to get back to Seattle for work on Monday while we meandered around stopping at several (snow-covered) viewpoints. Then we descended from the rim (east rim drive was not open) and took US 97 north toward Bend. At a stop for lunch near LaPine (Gilchrist Mall) we called the Rotis and got an invitation to join them for dinner and stay the night. In Bend we made our usual stop at the Outlet Mall and C.J. found a new rain parka at Columbia while I found some heavily discounted cargo pants at Eddie Bauer. Dinner was lots of fun with Steve and Tina and some of Tina's friends - delicious food and wine including buffalo burgers.pork loin, appetizers, salads, and cucumbers in rice wine vinegar. The shower and Murphy bed was also much appreciated.

27 Jun, Mon - We drove home through Central Oregon, stopped at a WA State Park 25 mi N of the border for lunch, got gas and groceries at Costco in Union Gap. We stopped at a couple of fruit stands but didn't buy the expensive early cherries. We were home by 1600.

Southwest 2011

17 May - 3 June

Once again the wet and cold of May in the NW convinced us to throw our camping gear in the car and head for warmer climes. We optimistically packed our paragliders as well, hoping to fly at Mingus Mountain, at least, and maybe at the Craters near Flagstaff. Another factor affecting our decision to travel even when gas prices were so high was that we were about to lose our 2009 timeshare points. To make good use of them we booked several days at Pine Top in the White Mountains of Northern Arizona and the two days just before the holiday weekend at Flagstaff. [We also booked a week at Estes Park, but that is for September.]

17 May, Tues - Still wearing layers of fleece we got an early (for us) start at 0900 and drove in sunny weather through Yakima River Canyon (where the river was high). We stopped for gas in Union Gap and Nampa-Caldwell, browsed the offerings at Sierra Trading Post and drove on to Glenns Ferry trying to decide if it was too rainy to camp. But Three Mile Island State Park was dry and the sky looked reasonable so we pitched the tent on the grass. [Oh, yeah, no trailer this trip - the weather should be fine for camping and we've got a week of condo living in the middle.]

As soon as we settled in, it started to sprinkle and the wind picked up. We set up our little folding tables under a nice dense tree and managed to get dinner cooked and stay dry. Later the sky cleared and we took a walk around the park. The large Oregon Trail Interp. Ctr was closed but there was an old winch-operated ferry on the riverbank and a couple of emigrant wagons on display.

The park also has small cabins for rent, but they're probably not that great a deal compared to the half-price camping ($11.66) for seniors on Mon-Thu.

18 May, Wed - It was still windy enough in the morning to blow the tent into the next campsite when we turned it upside down to dry the floor. But the rain did not begin until we were down the road a ways. There was fresh snow on the Sweetzer Pass (5300') hills and it rained on and off through Utah. We picked up gas, a Costco lunch and some AAA maps and guidebooks in Ogden. Then we stopped again in Orem/Provo at another AAA office because our plans to drive to Capitol Reef seemed to be rained out and maybe Death Valley might be a better option. At a Barnes and Noble we used the free wi-fi to make a Motel6 reservation in Cedar City. The farther we drove, the worse the weather until we were driving in mixed snow and rain as we entered Cedar City. We were glad to have a solid roof and an adjustable thermostat for the night.

19 May, Thu - There was new snow on the hills in Cedar City but at least it wasn't precipitating as we headed down the road past the Kolob section of Zion NP. The weather looked better ahead as we gassed up at St. George Costco and grabbed info on LV, NV and Death Valley from AAA. We continued down I-15 through the Virgin River gorge and then took the scenic route through Lake Mead Nat Rec Area (photo, left), stopping for lunch at Echo Bay. We ate just outside a campground on a bluff overlooking a narrow valley that must have been a lake inlet before drought and increased usage lowered the lake level a bunch (something like 120 ft).
Later we stopped at a trailhead and climbed a hill to good views of the juxtaposition of the desert next to the large man-made lake.

Although we had been planning to go to Hoover Dam, we decided to go to Death Valley first and hit the dam tour on the way back through. (CEL came on for the first time this trip entering LV, CEL off as we climbed over the Spring Mtn summit). We filled up on gas at Costco then drove E on 190 over the Spring Mtn summit to Pahrump and entered DV (near Salsberry Pass, 3288') from the S through the town of Shoshone. Down we drove into the valley and passed sea level and kept dropping until Badwater Basin at -282 ft where we made a stop for photos. We didn't do much additional stopping because it was getting late and we wanted to reach Furnace Creek, one of the few CGs still open in the "off season" - summer) in time to get a campsite. Upon arrival there was plenty of room but only in the shadeless, hard-packed gravel sites. Oh well, it was cheap enough and there was water. But the temperature was high and the wind was strong and gusty. I set up our shade dome and that helped for a while until a strong gust blew it over. Later we were told by a ranger that by this time of the year it was usually 115 deg, not the relatively mild 91 deg we were experiencing. Still, it was hot in the tent even with the fly off; the heat of the ground kept radiating up through the tent floor and our pads. But there was a good view of the stars and, later, a bright 3/4 moon. Even with the tent doors open it never did cool down to sleeping bag temperatures.

20 May, Fri - It was still warm and dry when we got up shortly after 0600 (although there was some confusion about the time since we had three different time zones on various watches and clocks). Instant oatmeal was quick if not particularly tasty, and it got us on the road by about 0730. We headed back up the valley (south) aiming to cover the Artist Drive loop and stopped at Golden Canyon where we decided to do the 1.5 mi walk to a view of Red Cathedral (500+ ft elev gain) while it was relatively cool. After the walk, we continued on to Artist Drive and then returned to Furnace Creek to visit the temporary visitor center. The ranger pointed out some route options for returning to Las Vegas including the ghost town of Rhyolite. From there we drove out to the famous overlook of Zabriskie Point (photo, right, above) and then up the long, steep road (where the Outback came close to overheating) to Dante's View (5475'). We wandered out to a rocky point overlooking the valley (photo, left) and had lunch while an obliging chuckwalla (a large lizard) posed for pictures. Returning to Furnace Creek past some still-operating mines, we picked up some overpriced ice at the FC Ranch General Store and filled our water containers at the campground. We drove north and up the Beatty Cutoff over Daylight Pass (4316'). At Rhyolite, outside the park, we looked at some eccentric artwork by sculptor Albert Szuzalski at the Goldwell Open Air Museum and then drove around the not-terribly-interesting 1904-1914 town with a stop to see the house built mostly of beer bottles. In Beatty we got gas and ice cream cones at the Stagecoach Casino annex. Then it was just a long drive down US 95 to LV and Costco for gas. We found a campsite in Lake Mead NRA at Boulder Beach CG near Boulder City and C.J. made a delicious dinner salad. The blooming Oleander bushes between the campsites provided some privacy and it was warm enough to use the solar shower to clean up a bit. After the sun set, the temperature dropped a bit, unlike in Death Valley, so it was comfortable sleeping (the only remaining complaint being the bright lights on the rest rooms).

21 May, Sat - It was a comfortable temp for breakfast, too, but sunrise was early and we were

up around 0600 again. Still, it was a good day to take time to fry up some eggs before driving back to Boulder City to the Nat. Park Svc. info ctr. A helpful ranger gave us a good map and showed us where to park for free at Hoover Dam. Boulder City was established for housing the men who built the dam, but there wasn't much of the old company town left. There were , however, neat sculptures along the street and lots of upscale shops. Heading east we got off the new highway on to old US 93 and stopped first at the Lake Mead Overlook - the "bathtub ring" showing the high water mark was especially evident at the end of the lake. Then we had to go through Security (they had me open the rooftop carrier and our big food box) and down to the trailhead for the new Colorado River Bridge (the Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge). We walked through the display and up onto the bridge sidewalk (separated from the roadway by a head-high wall) and about halfway across the bridge before returning to the car. There are lots of signs explaining the construction of the bridge - pretty interesting. We drove past the parking garage, across the dam and another pay-parking lot to the first free lot which still had an empty slot. then it was only a short walk back to the dam through the light, early-morning crowd. The road (old 93 across the top of the dam) is only two lanes and it was clear how it must have been a real bottleneck before the new bridge was completed (Oct 2010). There were many photo subjects - the water inlets, the Winged Figures of the Republic and High Scaler sculptures, among others. We took the power plant tour ($9 ea, senior price) which included a movie, elevator to the bypass tunnel and another elevator to the generator bay then back to the self-guided exhibits and view from the terrace. It must have been close to noon when we were on our way again, in slow traffic until we hit the new bypass. We stopped for gas and lunch in Kingman, noted now for it's location on old Rte 66. Then we took I-40 to US 93 south through Chino Valley and then 89A up the scenic drive to Mingus. At the summit rest area, we stopped to check the computer for the coordinates of launch, plugged them into the GPS and headed up the gravel road. A passing ranger confirmed that the hang glider launch and campground was up at the end of the road. At the gated CG we met Kris Thomsen and Nicole Charrow and they gave us the tour of the concrete HG ramp and the new, grassy PG ramp and ran into John "Ole" Oleson. Later we set up camp in the excellent ponderosa-shaded Forest Service-style camp with picnic tables, fire rings and concrete pit toilet (about 11 sites but some are double and many more tents could be accommodated between sites). There is no water or electricity but there is a USFS CG just a mile down the road (not as nice, though). After dinner we brought our chairs over to the communal fire and Andy and Linnie (sp) from Flagstaff also joined the group (K & N, Dan and Erin, Bill Comstock, Ole, others). It was windy but people had flown (no PG) and some had gotten as high as 13,200 from the 7800 ft launch. It got cold pretty quickly since sunset on Arizona non-DST is around 1930. By 2130 we were ready to climb into our sleeping bags inside our tent with the fly zipped up. It was quite comfortable.

22 May, Sun - The forecast today was for strong winds and there were no PGers around anyway so we left after a great breakfast of French toast. We stopped in Cottonwood to walk out to the bailout LZ which turned out to be a decent grassy field instead of the sage-and-cactus I feared. We did not know where the regular LZ, the 10th St LZ, was located so we could not eyeball that. We decided to take advantage of the fact that we could not check in at our condo until after 1630 to tour a couple of national monuments. First we went to Montezuma Castle which had two cliff house complexes of the Sinagua people and we walked an interpretive loop. Then we drove to Montezuma Well which was a lake in what looked like a crater. The Sinagua had tapped the underground exit of the lake (part of the 1.5 mil gal daily) and built irrigation canals around 1200-1450, then disappeared. We walked up to the rim, down to the lake at the swallet, or outlet, then went back up and down to find the other end of the swallet and the canals. From the Well we took a gravel road back to SR 260 and spotted what appeared to be a cougar crossing the road along the way! SR 260 (along with SR 87) seems to be the main route out of Phoenix to the Mogollon Rim highlands. We bought gas and a pint of ice cream in Payson and started the big climb up the Rim. The Outback's gas mileage really suffered for a while but then improved once we got up on top. We passed through Show Low and pulled into Pinetop (photo, left) around 1730. The GPS did not have the street or address for the Worldmark Condo so we had to get out the computer and look up the confirmation email with directions. After checking in we carried all of our gear up to the 2nd floor condo (puff, puff - definitely at 7000 ft). Later I went in to Safeway to get some groceries (and found liquor on sale at a better price than at Costco in LV). We got the internet connection working (but had to call to ask about our password).

23 May, Mon - (I had a case of digestive upset overnight but was okay in the morning - until another bout while we were out hiking later.) After getting some info about hiking from the resort front desk, we went into Lakeside to the ranger station where we picked up a printout of all the local short hikes for $2.00 and two other pamphlets about hiking near Alpine and near Springerville/Eagar. We did a short 1-mile walk on the Mogollon Rim Overlook trail and then drove past Powell Butte to the Panorama trailhead and hiked up Twin Buttes for a scenic lunch hunkered down out of the wind. Back in town we went to Safeway for groceries and to check with the pharmacy about getting more metformin and the simvastatin that I somehow left home. Back at the condo C.J.finished up the laundry, we downloaded and adjusted photos and took a walk around the property.

24 May, Tues - Up early, we headed east to find Greens Peak, a local flying site. FS 117 took us to a spur road that wound up the cinder cone to 10, 133 ft. If the wind had not been howling (and the temperature frigid), it would have made a great launch with ample flat fields below (The base is at about 9500'). But we drove back down and went to find a more pedestrian activity.


Escudilla Mountain is a long, high (10,912') ridge with a fire tower on the south end. The trail to the tower is about 3 miles and starts in an old burn now covered with aspens that were just coming into full-leaf. Above that were pine, spruce and meadows. We reached the tower but the wind was so strong and gusty that we climbed only two flights before descending to find a sheltered but sunny spot for lunch. We met only one other hiker on the trail the whole four hours we spent on the mountain. Driving back via Springerville and SR 60, we passed through lava and cinder cones to Show Low where we picked up some propane and groceries at Walmart. In Lakeside/Pinetop I picked up my overpriced prescriptions at Safeway and grabbed some additional groceries and sale-priced liquor. Then back to the condo to rest up from the hike.

25 May, Wed - After once more boiling-over the oatmeal and checking the weather (lt winds incr to W at 15), we drove to Green's Peak again. [On the way we stopped for gas at Hon-Dah Casino within the White Mountain Apache Reservation.] This time the velocity was about perfect but the direction was from the N (and launch was only possible from S through W). We waited for a while but finally decided (11:11) that it was not going to improve and went off to find a place to hike. Still it was a worthwhile detour because we spotted a wolf (Mexican Gray) in a meadow on the way in to Greens! We found our way to the trailhead for the west fork of the Black River trail which followed the pine-covered canyon rim for three miles until the last quarter mile where it descended to the stream. We passed no other hikers on the trail but there were a good number of folks free-camped in the woods all around the Big Lake region (once they were outside the "no dispersed camping area"). We tried out our new UV water purifier but the water really wasn't cold enough to make it worthwhile. It was a bit of a slog to climb back up to the canyon rim in the sunshine (and wind-shadow). Back at the condo we took a swim in the outdoor pool (heated to 84 deg, we were told) and soaked in the hot tub. Afterward we had gin and tonic with some snackies, said snackies might be described as the crumbs in the bottom of the chip bag - camping is tough on chips.

26 May, Thu - We had decided to leave "early" so we had packed up as much as possible on the 25th, so we were out around 0800 for the relatively short trip to Flagstaff. Down off the Mogollon Rim and past Show Low we were out of the pine highlands and into Colorado Plateau landforms - the Painted Desert was only 20 miles to the northeast of Holbrook where we turned west on I-40. It was much too early to check in to the Wyndham Flagstaff Resort when we reached the turnoff so we filled up with gas at Safeway and drove north to Cameron where we turned west to go to Grand Canyon NP. A sign indicated a scenic viewpoint for the Little Colorado River Gorge and we pulled off to check it out. It was on the Navajo Reservation and there was a small charge for parking and a multitude of Indian artisans displaying their work. C.J. found a nice necklace of hematite and goldstone with a bear fetish that I was glad to buy since her birthday was in just a few days.

The gorge itself was spectacular - not as deep or wide as the Grand Canyon but very steep-sided (photo, left). We continued to climb and soon entered GCNP; our first stop was at Desert View, the highest elevation on the South Rim at 7500'. We climbed the steps to the top of the tower and had great views of the canyon. We also stopped at Tusayan Ruins, Navajo Point, Moran Point and Grand View before arriving at the big tourist area around Grand Canyon Village.

We went to the Geology Museum at Yavapai Point and took in a presentation by a ranger; we also stopped at the post office, and browsed the big general store. Then we drove over to the new, and cavernous, visitor center. The plaza outside was actually more interesting especially the rocks with silhouettes of birds, fossils, and tracks. Even though we had planned to do a hike from Hermit Point, we were too tired - maybe due to the wind(?) - and so headed south toward Williams. The more direct route along 180 was also marked as a scenic road, so we took that and climbed from about 6000' back into the pines as we crossed a high pass (8054') before descending into Flagstaff. We had no trouble finding our condo and checked in for our two-night stay. We weren't on the second floor at this one; this time it was a tri-level with the living area on the top floor and the main bedroom on the bottom. For two nights we didn't carry everything inside. Weather reports indicated that it was going to stay sunny and windy through the weekend.

27 May, Fri - Feeling hopeful we drove out to Sheba Crater (photo, left) arriving about 0930. not knowing anything about the site, we drove past a vehicle parked in what we later found out was the LZ. We continued on and eventually found a dirt road that took us around the cinder cone. About three-quarters of the way around we could see that the vehicle from the LZ was on the road to the top and well above us. It didn't look like the kind of road our Outback would like so we returned to the windsock in the LZ and waited around for a while. The wind was already pretty strong and gusty and the guys at the top did not launch or make any preparations to launch so we finally headed for our fallback plan.

Walnut Canyon National Monument was not far away and there was a good trail that took us down 185 ft to a ledge on the cliff where the pueblos were located. Some were ruins, others somewhat reconstructed, and still others were just stabilized; all were under a large overhang protecting them from the weather. Unlike at Montezuma Castle, here you could enter the cliff dwellings.

It was a pretty good climb up the stairs back from the Island Trail to the visitor center but the breeze kept it from being too hot. We also walked out along the Rim Trail before returning to Flagstaff to buy some groceries at Walmart.

Back at the condo we had lunch then I went out to JiffyLube to get an oil change, air filter, too. I also had to replace a low beam headlamp on the left side. At Safeway I bought corn and bread, and filled up the tank before returning to the condo. After dinner we walked over to the Activity Center to buy an ice cream cone, then packed up for tomorrow's departure. High winds were still being forecast for the weekend but the plan is to go to Mingus anyway since there will be a place to camp at least.

28 May, Sat - We checked out of Wyndham early enough that we got to the Lowell Observatory before it opened at 0900 so we wandered around the grounds until opening. Then we looked at displays and watched some videos until a tour at 1000. The highlight was going into the oldest observatory dome (which was originally made of wood and covered with canvas, and not a dome at all). The antique telescope inside was a 24" refractor all built out of brass and steel. It was pretty amazing; but it was not the telescope that Clyde Tombaugh used in 1930 to discover planet X, later named Pluto. We skipped the next tour which would have taken us to that telescope and headed south down Oak Cr Canyon stopping at the popular tourist overlook and again along the creek where we walked in a ways to a creekside lunch spot. Next stop was in tony Sedona where we browsed a Bell's outlet for UV-resistant shirts. They had some but the Goodwill store just two doors down had regular long-sleeve shirts for a quarter of the price. Then we stopped at a visitor info place (to use the rest room) but it turned out to be a scam to direct people to a timeshare presentation down the road at Verde Ridge. Since we were in no hurry to get to Mingus, and the "gift" was $100, we went along for the spiel. We ended up three hours later with the same every-other-year deal that we had with Pahio (now taken over by Wyndham) but at a much reduced annual maintenance fee. After the usual haggling and bribes we agreed to pay $6400 (started at $24,000 for 43,000 pts) for 27,000 pts EOY and they bought our Pahio week for $8500, plus we got a 7-day cruise and some other goodies...and our $100 gift. It was a little late by the time we got to the Mingus AHGA campground and it was filled with pilots and family, but Kris and Nicole made room at their site. It was still cold and windy and we cooked behind a stack of firewood and ate our mac, cheese and sausage in the car. We went to bed early and did not need the down comforter - the wind must have kept the air stirred up.

29 May, Sun - It was a bit warmer in the morning (in the 50's) but still windy. We left for a hike at 1030, driving the half mile to the day use area and parking there, picking up a map from the FS volunteers at the campground and then descending 1000 ft along the face of Mingus to pass beneath the launch. We stopped for lunch then climbed up the point north of launch returning to camp about 1400. Most folks had packed up and left so, after retrieving the car, we moved into a vacant parking slot next to our tent and hung out in the tent reading until dinner time.

We had some more of the good corn on the cob from Safeway and leftover mac and cheese cooked in the rock shelter that is destined to camouflage a dumpster in the future.

I called Grand Staircase Escalante info center at Cannonville to see if the Cottonwood Road is passable for the Outback and got a "thumbs up" if there's no rain before we get there. There are still no paraglider pilots at Mingus but we talked with some HG and they are looking for a good day Monday with light winds.

30 May, Mon - The wind died overnight and we got up late enough (after 0800) that it was reasonably warm (with a couple layers of fleece, anyway). By 0900 we were thinking about getting our gear ready as the forecast was light west. By 0930 there were cycles up the front and by 1000 we were gearing up. The HG were setting up but there were no other PG. C.J. launched around 1030 and went right up eventually reaching 11,600 ft from the 7815' launch. Conditions got stronger and I had to wait until almost 1100 before I found a lighter cycle that wasn't making the trees whistle. I went left sinking but found lift before reaching the point. Soon I had climbed 2000' above the launch. The conditions were variable with sometime smooth, strong lift (to 1400 fpm) and at other times really ratty, broken, lift-and-sink. After getting over 10,000' I headed east out toward Cottonwood wondering if I could make it around the airport to the 10th St LZ. (At the time I had not realized that I had mistaken a big grassy park farther out for the LZ.) But I ran into BIG sink and became concerned that I wouldn't even make it to the bailout LZ. Just as I finally reached the bump above the bailout, I ran into BIG lift (I noted 620 fpm on the averager.) I climbed above C.J. for a time to launch level but she took off for the 10th St LZ while I hit more turbulent sink and settled for landing in the thermally bailout. I landed softly after a lot of bouncing around and then my wing blew back into some thorny brush. After extricating my wing and packing up, I walked the mile-and-a-half to the airport lounge where there was water, shade and a rest room. Nicole picked me up on her way to get Kris at the 10th St LZ. Kris, Ole and Bob had landed in the LZ while three other HG went over the back and probably landed at the fairgrounds near Prescott Valley. We put our wings in the back of Kris's pickup but got a ride back to camp with Bob and his wife in his crew cab pickup. At the CG we hurriedly packed up and were done before Kris made it back. We started down the road and met him at Mingus Lake and transferred our wings, then continued down the winding SR 89A through Jerome and Cottonwood. Even though it was the end of the holiday weekend, traffic was not a problem going through Sedona or Oak Cr. Canyon. We stopped for gas at Safeway in Flagstaff again and got some more corn and a tomato for dinner. Sunset Crater NM was the nearest public campground so we decided to stop there (also, it was the last CG for 100 miles to beyond Page). There were lots of open sites in amongst the pines and we tried to pick one with enough pine needles to cover the cinders. The temperature was comfortably in the 60's even though we were once again at an elevation of around 7000 ft, and there was no wind. [Two busloads of firefighters arrived around dark and set up a whole forest of dome tents. They left early the next day for what we assume was some training in the Monument. I wonder if they got sent to join the 2500 firefighters on the Wallow fire back near Springerville, AZ, near Pinetop.]

31 May, Tues - C.J. found ice in the bottom of a mostly-empty water bottle this morning although it had not felt very cold overnight (especially with the down comforter over our bags). I got an overdue camp hairwash in the warm sun before we left. We drove the Sunset Crater/Wupatki Nat Mon loop back to US 89 and stopped to climb to the top of a ruin known as The Citadel (photo, left).

Back on the highway we headed north past Cameron and along the Echo Cliffs. We climbed over a pass beyond the jct with 89A (route to Marble Cyn and North Rim) after a brief stop at a scenic pullout overlooking the Kaibab Plateau and the Colorado River canyon. (photo, left, artisan's tables) In Page we bought some groceries at Walmart and then crossed the Colorado on a bridge above the Glen Canyon Dam (much like the bridge above Hoover Dam but without the high, solid railings.

At Big Water we stopped at a BLM visitor center for Lake Powell and GSENM to check on conditions on the Cottonwood Road. Everything seemed okay so we left the pavement and drove north on the decent gravel road. We stopped part way through The Cockscombs to walk to the low side, and again for lunch under a tree - it was kind of buggy.

Our last non-photo stop was at The Narrows where we parked at the north end and explored the slot canyon to the north and then hiked down the canyon for 1.5 mi. We turned around and retraced our steps, even though the lower part was through pretty deep sand, rather than walk the hot, dusty road back to the car.






By then it was fairly late and we were hoping to find a campsite in Kodachrome State Park, but we stopped anyway at Grosvenor Arch, a spectacular double arch. After driving the mile to the trailhead, we walked the short, paved path to a good viewpoint. The last bit of the Cottonwood Road was the worst part with steep gravelly climbs and even a wet (but shallow) ford. We reached paved road at the entrance to Kodachrome but found a "campground full" sign. The fallback plan was to continue on to Cannonville and go up to Bryce Canyon NP to camp rather than pay three times as much to stay at a KOA. The no-reservation Sunset Campground was filled (except for the A-loop, designated for RVs) so the camp hosts sent us up to North CG where we stopped at the first unoccupied site. It was right on the side of the road but had a decent place for the tent and, anyway, we wanted to cook dinner before dark. We drank one of the little bottles of champagne from our new timeshare in honor of C.J.'s birthday and had spaghetti with sausage, green peppers and parmesan cheese; and an excellent salad.

1 Jun, Wed - Before leaving Bryce, after oatmeal and a shampoo for C.J., we drove around the CG and said hello to a Canadian who had been out five weeks with his A-frame Chalet trailer. We drove Scenic Route 12 to Escalante and checked with the visitor center about the road to Cathedral Valley in Capitol Reef (no info) and the Burr Trail (photo, left) (paved to edge of GSENM) and the Notom-Bullfrog Road (gravel, OK for Outback). So we continued on 12 over the Million dollar Highway between Escalante and Boulder (scenic!) and then down the Burr Trail (Very scenic! Red, sculpted canyons and cliffs) (photo, right).






We stopped along the way for photos and once for another scenic lunch spot. The pavement ended at a series of Moki Dugway-style gravel switchbacks descending the Waterpocket Fold, very cool (photo, left).

Less exciting was the long drive up the Notom Road to SR 24 through desert then ranchland. It was early when we got to Capitol Reef Visitor Center at Fruita (1500) but the ranger told us that the Cathedral Valley road was too rough for our not-high clearance vehicle so we had to go to plan B and camp at Fruita.

We hurried to the CG and got one of the last sites, a little inconvenient because it was situated in the walk-in tenting area, still it had a scenic view.


After setting up we got our hiking stuff and left right from the CG and climbed to Cohab Canyon, a hidden canyon with several side slot canyons.





We went about a mile and a quarter before turning off on a spur trail that took us to a viewpoint out over Fruita, the Fremont Canyon (photo, right) and SR 24. We were back by 1830 and the bugs were so bad (The hatch had just begun, someone told us) that we didn't cook but had wraps with the last of the guacamole, cheese, ham, lettuce, etc.. Then we hid out in the tent after the wind died down and C.J. had a chance to wash up.

2 Jun, Thu - Up at 0730 before sunshine reached the tent, but later we were able to enjoy our instant oatmeal in the sun at our picnic table. We were packed up and gone before 0900. SR 24 was surprisingly scenic - but would have been even better heading toward Capitol Reef. After leaving Torrey and Loa behind, we entered the Basin and Range physiographic province and crossed a ridge/plateau at 8300' then drove along a lengthy graben, the Koosharem Valley. We passed some gypsum mines and continued up to Salina and on to the north on SR 28 to I-15 at Nephi below snow-covered Mt Nebo (almost 12,000'). Along the way we noticed that stream and rivers were running high and there were signs of minor flooding. We stopped at Sandy Costco for gas and lunch then drove up through SLC with the ever-present wind but also some ominous clouds to the north. Going over the high ground into Idaho we had a couple of showers and lots of dark clouds. On I-84 it looked stormy ahead but we drove through one front and stopped at Glenns Ferry around 1800 before reaching the next dark band of clouds. The temperature was in the 50s and it was windy even in the relatively sheltered lower campground at Three Island Crossing State Park so we elected to eat in town. The Fudge Factory served an excellent burger with sweet potato fries and broccoli salad, and we sampled a glass of the local winery's River Mist, a sweet rose', and shared a small mint-chocolate brownie. Back at camp by 1930 I had my first shower in many days - one advantage of staying in the usually more-expensive state parks.

3 Jun, - Fri - Heading for home we skipped breakfast and stopped in Caldwell for Costco gas and Starbucks hot chocolate and scones. I don't think we stopped again until time to gas up at Costco in Union Gap where we also got drinks. We were home to sunny, warm weather in time to see that the grass really needed to be cut and the garden needed some days of work as well. Except for the wind which kept us from doing more than the one flight at Mingus we seem to have picked a good time to visit the northern, high elevation part of the Southwest.