Borrego Springs

Culp Valley Primitive Campsite

I took Lin and PD up to top of the mountain on Hwy S22 and into this camp site.  Two years ago I did a hike with my brother and a friend.  Today I got a chance to show Lin just how much of a hike it was.  The camp sits 3375 feet above sea level and was quite a climb up from the valley floor.  We took the road this time and I didn't even break into a sweat.

Trail up to Borrego Springs Lookout

Sunlight in the cholla

View from Lookout, we couldn't see our trailer from here.

Galleta Meadows

Sculptures of Ricardo Breceda and the vision of Dennis Avery... They were quite interesting, the tourist guide mentioned "something other-worldly."

White Sands National Monument

White Sands

Today we left our RV in Las Cruces, New Mexico and drove 50 miles north east to the National Monument.  It was great to go early because the sun was coming up over the mountains when we were on the way and the sun wasn't too bright for photos.  The Monument is a pet friendly area just so long as you follow the rules.  It was so tempting to let little PD off leash as he figured it was the greatest place to run around. Probably thought it was snow and in a few of the photos it is hard not to make that mistake.  It is actually a rare form of sand, gypsum sand.  Usually gypsum would dissolve in water and get carried away but there are no rivers around to drain the area.   

Dune with a Yucca that has finished it's bloom

One of the sites was a board walk and it was actually made of metal.  This produced a lot of noise when you walk on it.  I imagine they built it more for the physically challenged people so they can be out among the dunes. When you are out on the dune we noticed how very quiet it is, you can't even hear your own foot steps.

PD was exited to be on the dune. He was probably bored because we were moving too slow.

Picnic area looked sort of abstract against the dunes.

We hiked a short distance along the Alkali Flat Trail. I was wondering how you walk on a trail that can disappear when the wind blows and so you join the dots or marker posts and off we go. Once we had our pictures taken it was back to the truck and off to the visitor center to get the T-shirt.

You aren't supposed to drive on the sand so I am hoping it was the park ranger checking on the hikers.

Arches and Colorado River

Arches National Park

This is our second time we have been to Arches. The first time was in September 2008 and it seemed much less crowded this time.  The funny part is that the weather right now is very unsettled.  The first day we didn't get rain or a thunderstorm but the skies were certainly right.

Here is a collection of rock features.  Some areas were closed to the public because of flooding and construction but with over 2000 arches and counting there is no lack of something to see.

Tower of Babel

Balanced Rock

North Window 

Confused Clouds

Courthouse Towers

Colorado River

Our next day we drove down to the river and crossed over the bridge and explored along the cliff face beside the river.  Our dog PD just loved it as we let him run loose on the undeveloped trail.  Lesson learned for today: Red mud is really hard to remove from boot treads!

Back to Arches

Broken Arch

Broken Arch the other side

Entrance to Sand Dune Arch

Sand Dune Arch

North and South Windows

Turret Arch

The skies were certainly full of rain and the whole valley was full of lightening and thunder.  I was thinking it was time to GET, especially when the thunder could be heard, first from the right and then from the left.  I guess that means the storm was upon us.

As I was dashing for the truck many people were heading up into the features.  The rain was so hard on the way out that the wipers wouldn't keep up and the water was pouring off the cliffs and on to the road in some spots.  Spectacular end to the day...

Capital Reef

Capital Reef

We are staying at a small town, Torrey, just off the entrance to Capitol Reef National Park. At the last census they had a population of 182.  When the sun goes down here the stars are very bright.

When the sun comes up this is the view we get from our RV. After breakfast and a walk we headed into the park with just our truck to get a good look at the rock features.  When you are travelling with a large trailer you don't often get the option to pull off the road for a look around.

One of the first pull-outs has this formation, Twin Rocks.  Can't argue with that they are twins...

View to the east from Twin rocks.

This formation is called Chimney Rock.  Just off to the left there was a parking lot and a trail to the base of this feature.  The parking lot was just jammed with vehicles so we moved off up the road and got a better view anyway.

View from a larger view point. The juniper trees were beautiful and had some berries on them.

Chimney Rock is the middle view is contrasting well with all the other shades of red.

Fluted Wall, who names these formations?

The light coloured rock at the top is called the Castle.  I went into the visitor center below to look at the T shirts.  You know the expression... been there, done it, got the T shirt! Well I didn't get the T shirt.

Provo/Jordon River Parkway

Provo UT

It has been a year and a half since my last blog and many friends are asking that I continue this year.  We started our trip a week ago leaving on the Queen of Alberni (BC Ferry) and headed to Mt Vernon WA, Pendleton OR, Boise ID, Snowville UT and Provo.

If you had a map out you would see we are heading in a diagonal down to New Mexico.  This is my first real hike/walk with my camera since we started and there is always something of interest.

The Provo Trail stretches through the city of Provo from Utah Lake to the foothills at the other end of the city.

This horse was busy eating grass and I called to him for about 6 calls he decided to humour me and came for a visit.

Trail in the late afternoon light.

Provo River?

Provo River doesn't seem to be much of a river at this point but I suspect there are some large fish in there as they were feeding on something and making very large splashes.

Memorabilia 

This storage facility next to the RV park has been collecting gas station signs and pumps for a while and they were advertising that they wanted more.  

Off to Capital Reef today and it will be all new scenery for us...