The Great Adventure 2011 Utah – 8/12/11

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This morning after breakfast at Denny’s, we headed out to do Park Ave. trail and the Windows Trail. We did a few side trails also. The Park Avenue trail was wonderful early in the morning because most of the trail was in the shade and the ground was hard (not a sandy beach like yesterday). The Windows trail brought back memories of when we did that hike one year in April and it was cold and windy. In fact, I lost my favorite ball cap here!

After hiking, we went to Pasta Jays for lunch. We ate at a Pasta Jays in Boulder, CO and really enjoyed it. We brought leftovers home for dinner. That is the best part about having a full kitchen to come back to. Then we did some grocery shopping (ahhhh, air conditioning!). It was 99F outside at 3:30pm.

Tomorrow we will need to repack the car. Hopefully we can get the spinning wheel in the back compartment so it is out of the way. We will pack all the fiber and yarn around it to cushion it.

What I Learned Today:

· Most hikes in the desert are more pleasant in the morning because the rocks are cooler. I think in the evening the rocks will still retain the heat from the day.

· Some stuff can be cheaper at the Dollar General than the grocery store.

· Naps in the heat of the afternoon are really a good thing!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Utah – 8/11/11

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Early in the morning we headed out for a hike beginning at the Devil’s Garden Trailhead at the back of Arches National Park. We planned on doing the loop trail and side trails which would be about 8 miles long. Years ago we tried this hike but it was so windy in April that I was too scared to cross the fins near the Landscape Arch. This time I was prepared, the wind wasn’t blowing, and I was sure I could do it!

We arrived at Landscape Arch on the main trail where I took a bunch of pictures. I also saw another arch above and in the distance but I’m not sure which one it was. Then we continued on the trail only to find out that Wall Arch had collapsed in 2008 on the main trail so the trail was rerouted, right over a rock fin. I tried to go up the fin, but eventually I chickened out. So, we decided to retrace our steps and begin on the primitive loop which goes around the other way. After about 2.5 miles of soft sandy trail (which really tired out my legs) and some rock scrambling, we came to a rock fin. After 5 or 6 tries, Don was able to haul me up to the first ledge. We talked about continuing up the steep rock face but finally decided to give up. I had to admit defeat! I would rather do that than have to get the rangers to rescue me when I got in over my head! We returned the way we came and stopped at Pine Tree Arch and Tunnel Arch. All in all, we ended up doing our 8 miles anyway even if we didn’t do the whole loop trail. I feel bad for Don because he didn’t get to see all of the arches that we had hoped to see.

By then it was lunch time so we went to La Hacienda for lunch. I had 2 chili rellenos and a salad. In the afternoon we did our laundry. We found one Laundromat near the City Market but they wanted $4 for the washing machine! We left there and went to another one near McDonalds and their washers were only $1.50. In fact, it cost us $4 total to do our laundry (washer and dryer!) Then we came back and took a nap!

What I Learned Today:

· Gatorade makes a big difference when hiking in extreme heat! I drank more than if I had warm water.

· Knowing my limitations keeps me from getting in bad hiking situations.

· You never know what wildlife may be hidden in the bushes like deer and lizards.

· $4 is way too much to spend on a washing machine! (We found another Laundromat with $1.50 machines)

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).
Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Utah – 8/8/11

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This morning we got up early and headed towards Delicate Arch. Even though it wasn’t a long hike, it was hard when it got hot. The views were as beautiful as I remember but the last time we were here, it was in April and colder. After that we did the Delicate Arch viewpoints. Then we hiked to the Double Arch.

 After lunch we stopped at the grocery store and the knitting shop called Desert Threads. I bought a pound of 100% Corriedale fiber for about $40. The clerk, Nicole, was so nice and we spent a lot of time talking with her. As a former river guide, she told us about rafting down the Colorado River so we ended up booking a rafting trip for tomorrow. Then we drove on Hwy 279 to the Potash Plant. Along the way we saw petroglyphs and another arch. We stopped at a mailing center to see about mailing my spinning wheel home but decided it wasn’t cost effective to do so. Instead we will repack the car and store the wheel in the car.

What I Learned Today:

· Even hiking at 8am, it is still hot outside! We need to get an earlier start if we want to do that 8 mile hike before it gets hot.

· The red thread in the rocks is caused by the oxidizing of iron.

· “To qualify as an official stone “arch,” a hole must have an opening at least three feet (1m) long in any one direction.”

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Utah – 8/7/11

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We drove to Moab, UT this morning and it was a lovely drive. It is amazing how much open land there is. We got to Arches NP at about 10am and it was already hot. We hiked to Sand Dunes Arches, Skyline Arches, and Balancing Rock but then it got too hot to hike anymore. By then it was lunchtime and we had chili rellenos at La Hacienda for lunch before checking into our room at the Kokopelli Intowner (part of the Kokopelli Lodge). I loved where we are staying for the week! Our “room” is actually a small apartment with livingroom and full kitchen along with bedroom and bath. There are some lawn chairs and a bbq grill outside for us to use too. I will enjoy staying here and the cost was less than the room we stayed in at the Comfort Inn last night in Green River!
What I Learned Today:
· This dry heat can really sap your energy!
· There are over 2000 arches in Arches NP.
· Arches NP is in the high desert between 4000 - 6000 ft. in elevation.
· President Hoover made Arches into a National Monument but it didn’t become a national park until 1971.
Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).
Original Photo: by Pat Hensley