Moab, Utah

April 14th, 2009

We drove 3 hours into Colorado to stock up on good beer in bombers (non 3:2 beer that is) then on into Utah to Canyonlands National Park. We camped in the backcountry near the Needles District.

Climbing up onto that red rock, Meg noticed this Bullsnake right next to our table. The ranger later told us that they are harmless, hunt rodents, and coil into a rattlesnake position when threatened. Good thing we didn't see that.

Stacks at the Needles District.

Goose's ears warned us of the oncoming wind storm. In the middle of the night we awoke to voilent winds shaking the tent and red sand/silt covering our faces. It blew right under our rain tarp and through the screeen.... Then filled our ears. We ended up climbing into the Mule and were rocked to sleep.

This is the confluence of the Colorado and Green rivers as seen (or barely seen) from the Islands in the Sky district.

The winds kicked up even more, then it rained dirt from the atmosphere. Here is the Colorado river near our next campsite. Visibility was just like a snow storm, except reddish-brown.




That night it snowed too. The next day was much nicer. We had a great hike to a hidden arch. It happened to be the 6th largest expanse in the world.

Meg is showing that ballet skills still come in handy.

Chaco Culture National Historic Park

April 7&8, 2009
The Four Corners have so many ruins from the Anasazi, or pre-North American history ancient people. We don't know what they spoke, why they created such structures, or why they left, but X-Files says that it was aliens (one of the theories the ranger told us). The hub of this culture is found in the middle of nowhere New Mexico. Views from above show over 400 miles of thirty foot wide, straight roads that lead out from Chaco.

Goose found evidence of earlier elk in the valley.

The great thing about a National Historical Park is that Goose could hike the trails. The crack on the right is the trail to the top of the north mesa. It got wider.

Beans straight out of the fire.... for breakfast. Megan paid for my decision later.

Goose has a mad hiking skills!

Run for the Border

April Fool's Weekhump

We started calling our three days off "weekhumps" since they come in the middle vs. the end. Humpday is great because we still have another day off.

We drove down to Gold Canyon, AZ to road trip with Nanny & Boppy with stops at Tombstone and Bisbee. Here we are with unregistered weapons at the O.K. Corral. Good thing Boppy is a lawyer.

The town of Bisbee is an old and current mining town right near the border of Mexico.

We rode into the Copper Queen mine on a mini-train back 1500 feet. The mine closed operation in the 80's due to cave-ins above and flooding below our level of entry.

I can't imagine sitting next to a friend on this car. Normal wage was $3.50 and hour. The latrine cleaner got $5.50.

This crew looks too clean to have labored in the mine.

On the drive back, a vortex veered our vehicle straight into Sonoita, AZ and the Southern Arizona wine country. Sounds crazier than wine country in Michigan or Nebraska, but it tasted great.