Negro Bill Canyon Trail, near Moab, Utah

 

Before I got to Moab, a friend told me that I had to hike this trail.  The sign says it's 4 miles round trip, but plan on 4 hours.  I knew then that it's not an "easy" hike like the sign said.  I got up early one morning and got on the trail at 7 AM.  Luckily it was cool and most of the trail was shaded.  Unluckily, it had rained the day before and the trail had wet bushes that infringed on the walkway, so I kept brushing the leftover raindrops onto me as I meandered through the winding trail.  The trail (the easy part!) is shown below, but it doesn't show the poison ivy that was in a couple spots.  It's been long enough that I can say I successfully avoided those patches!

 

 

The small stream that went along the trail had to be crossed at least 6 times during the course of the trail.  The first time was easy, no wet feet.  After that, I got my feet multiple times both ways.  Some of the rocks in the river were slimy and slippery, so that didn't help.  I had to wash out my hiking boots when I got home!

 

 

The photo below shows a small sign in the corner - trail is that way.  Trail?  It's all rock about waist high!  After I check out the situation, I decided I could make it up - very carefully.  I put my camera and water bottle on the ledge and hoisted myself up. 

 

 

A short time up the trail, the reward is the Morning Glory Bridge off in the distance.

 

 

My hiking stick was definitely helpful on this trip - it's great for balancing on those rocks going across the water.

 

 

 

Red Rock Park Hiking, New Mexico

 

 

There are some long hikes at Red Rock Park, I spent two mornings on the most popular ones.  The first is shown above, called Church Rock.  I thought that was quite impressive, until the next day.  The next day I hiked up to Pyramid Rock.  I thought it would be just a hike to the base of the pyramid, similar to Church Rock.

 

 

 After about an hour of uphill hiking, I began to realize that the trail went further than I figured.  It seemed to go around the rock structure, and got steeper.  If there’s a trail, I typically go to the end, especially if there’s going to be a great view. 

Along the way, I found many rock formations such as the one shown below.  The base is red rock and the boulder perched on top is a totally different type of stone.  There were quite a few of them.

 

     

When I finally made it to the top, there was an area surrounded by boulders, many of them squared off.  The view from the top was spectacular.  I could see Church Rock off in the distance and was actually looking down at it.  I was on top of the highest structure for miles. 

 

 

After a while of taking photos and gazing at the wonderful scenery, I decided it was time to start my trip down.  I walked gingerly toward the edge where the trail started.  Keep in mind that I really don’t like heights and I get nervous when I’m within 12 feet of the edge.  It makes me nervous to see other people standing by the edges of cliffs.

 

 

 I made it down to an area in which I felt more comfortable.  For some reason, there were cairns, used as trail markers.  I hadn’t noticed them on the way up and wondered how I had missed them.  After about 10 minutes, I realized that somehow I had gotten on a different trail.  Apparently, when trails split, they aren’t marked except by cairns and unless you remember every turn, you can get lost.  I backtracked (going uphill again!) and found a familiar rock formation, and I knew I should be on the other side on the opposite ridge.  Instead of backtracking all the way, I decided to follow what looked like a trail down one ridge and up the other side.   Obviously, I wasn’t the only one who missed the turn.  Going down from the first ridge was easy (gravity helps).  Going up the other ridge was, of course, much steeper and longer.  Success!  I recognized the area and the trail on which I had hiked up.

 

 

I found the little guy in the photo above right in the middle of the trail and he was kind enough to sit and pose for me, obviously unfraid. 

The rest of the hike was easy downhill walking.  After 3 hours of hiking in the hills, I finally got to my truck to head home for lunch. 

 

Ghost Ranch, New Mexico

 

Ghost Ranch is a retreat as well as an art colony - they have classes on pottery, painting and other arts.  They also have numerous hikes for day visitors as well as resident students or other visitors.  Since they serve meals to residents, they also have a farm where they grow their own vegetables and flowers.  While I was there, I noticed a really pretty flower (so I thought), with purple plumes.  It’s not really a flower, it’s a type of grain similar to wheat or millet. 

 

 On the drive up to the complex, I passed a rustic cabin complete with a stone chimney on the outside and a fenced area in back.  I found out later that it was built for the set of a movie back in the 1990s – City Slickers.  They did a great job of construction since it looked like it could have been a couple centuries old.  I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t ancient.

 

I elected to do one of the hikes, one of the more strenuous ones.  The trail is only 1 ½ miles to the top, but to get to the top of the trail, you have to climb over 600’ of elevation in that distance.  I was thinking on doing a less strenuous one, but I decided I shouldn’t wimp out – and besides that hike would give me some great photos.  It was the climb to the Chimney Rock.  The photos below show the rock at about halfway up the trail and then at the top of the trail.  The trail leads to the mesa next to the Chimney Rock, so the photo is from the back of it.  Luckily, I had a liter bottle of water with me, and drank most of it.  The weather was great for hiking, cloudy without being overcast and there was a breeze for most of the hike.  The temperature was probably about 80-83 and not much humidity.

 

 

 

In the end, I’m glad I decided on that hike, and there were great views, such as the one below, coming down the trail – it was a long way down.

 

 

New Adventures

A restless spirit has been urging me to go somewhere.  The spirit did not mean a week long vacation, it did not mean a long weekend - it meant go away for quite a while.

I did go away for quite a while back in the middle of the 1990's - all the way to the Caribbean in a boat, sailing around from island to island for years.  My story is told in my book, Island Fever, available on Amazon in Kindle or paperback.   I also have slide shows of my travels on You Tube - IslandFeverCruising channel.  My blog that's mostly about cruising and a few other things is on http://landcruisingadventure.blogspot.com/

So, now the spirit has decided to send me somewhere totally different from tropical islands, palm trees, oceans, sailing tropical rum drinks.  The spirit has decided I should be going west to visit mountains, deserts, canyons and caverns.   Yes, pretty much the opposite of what I did for 10 years on the boat. 

In order to accomplish that, I need to divest myself of most of my belongings - house, car, furniture, etc.  My brother helped obtain and outfit the pretty blue truck you see on this blog - this will be my tow vehicle.   Thanks to Bob Karl - Bob Karl Used Cars in Troy, NY.   (Yeah, OK, it's a plug for him.)  I am now looking for a fifth wheel camper to go with the truck, that's the kind that hooks up into a hitch in the bed of the truck.   There are so many of them out there, all different sizes, makes, models and colors and floor plans.  I have to take a deep breath and step back from it sometimes.

As soon as my truck arrives from New York, I'll be selling my car, buying my camper and moving into it in order to facilitate the sale of my house.  It will be easier to sell if I'm not living in it, it will appear cleaner and more tidy without me and the cat.   That cat is so messy, I can't keep the house looking nice with her around.

As things happen to get me closer to blast-off day, I'll be writing here about what's going on - taking pictures and sharing.  When I'm on the road, I'll be writing about where I am, what I've been seeing and sharing the sights along the way. 

So, join me for my journey.  Let's hope it's fun, safe and exciting. 

Betty