Dirt Roads

Today we, Renee, Niah, nephew Jackson, and myself, set out to hike the Willis Creek Narrows in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM). To get there we decided to take the road less traveled by AKA a long dirt road. I sometimes like to mix it up and take these roads even though they add time. This one may have been a mistake as it was somewhat anticlimatic, but after what turned into a three hour drive we arrived at the trailhead. To our dismay it began to rain and the hike being a slot canyon, was cancelled. Fortunately for we adventurers Utah is blessed with amazing outdoor places and after a quick glance at our map we decided Kodachrome Basin State Park would be a worthwhile alternative.

Kodachrome apparently was named by a group of photographers for National Geographic Magazine who named the region after their film. It is an amazing place and worth the visit, even worth making it a destination in itself. Really there is not anything comparable that I can think of. It has monoliths similar to those at Monument Valley, or the Valley of the Gods, but on a smaller scale in addition the park has hoodoo's, sandstone formations and even a photogenic arch. The hikes we did, weather was still a threat, were short and the informative trail guides made the hike interesting even for young Jackson. Renee thought it interesting as Juniper tree's grow for some unexplained reason they twist as they grow.

After Kodachrome we headed for home. As we drove and passed through parts of Bryce Canyon National Park we noticed a pullout parking lot with a trailhead for Mossy Cave. The hike was magnificent. The hoodoos reminicent those found Bryce Canyon. Renee said several times that they were so bright it actually hurt her eyes to look at them. Jackson enjoyed the hike as well, especially due to him playing in the river and throwing rocks into it. The hike ended with scenic waterfall and a cave that has icicles until early July (alas we were there too late).

Even though the day started rough (Jackson repeatedly said he knew he should have stayed home after it started to rain) it ended up being one of the most enjoyable days of the summer for
our little group!

I convinced poor Jackson to become a tree hugger














Notice the Arch




















Renee thought it looked as if someone melted all the faces in Mount Rushmore together (below).

10 lbs lighter

SERENITY NOW LOOP

I have posted several times about my chastisement from the Dr. about my quasi-obesity. Well Im glad to report that I have lost over ten pounds in two weeks, unfortunately there goes at least partially my, "I need to go hiking so I can lose weight excuse."

Sunday morning before church, I decided to see some of GOD's handiwork. I set out with Trevor, Micah, Lindsey W. and her lil bro Dallin. We decided to tackle the White Rocks, White Rim, White something loop. We met outside of Snow Canyon State Park north entrance at an early 8:30 AM. I had a map and trail description from St. George Serendipity but basically it was a backcountry find your own route challenge. The hike was great, the vistas from above Snow Canyon amazing, and the wildflowers abundant.

This is what we decended to get back to the wash

I had to call Trevor a yellow bellied...just to get him to pick up this skeleton.

Lindsay and Dallin (he just was accepted into the Peace Corp)

First Overlook

A cool formation

Pictograph and Petroglyph Panel near the end.

Valley of Fire

VALLEY OF FIRE STATE PARK

Disclaimer: Sorry about the photo quality, I was messing with my settings on my camera a couple weeks ago and never reset them!

When I was a young buck my scout troop went camping at a place called Valley of Fire State Park (VOFSP) in Nevada. This was one of my favorite camping trips of all time. We played night games and during the day played the best game of steal the flag in history. While I had an enjoyable time as a teen, I did not enjoy the park for the same reasons as I do as an adult. VOFSP is an oddity. As you drive in the middle of the Mojave Desert one must wonder what amazing geological thing can exist out here, but quickly the rather bland desert turns into a whimsical red/white/yellow slickrock playground. Often the colors change dramatically from red to white, or sometimes the change is more gradual with a mixture of colors. Perhaps the most unique thing about VOFSP is not the colors, but rather the shapes of the rocks. The weathering of the sandstone is amazing leaving holes, caves, arches, and eery looking faces in perhaps a greater concentration than any other place I have ever visited. Anyone with an imagination will enjoy spotting rocks that "look like..."

Danica, Kylee, and Rachel making a funny face under arch rock.

Danica was the most timid of the Reeses children when it came to exploring and climbing the slickrock. So I was shocked when she wanted to go exploring with me. The picture below was an odd thing found. It was a small cavern with lots of openings and natural bridges or... something

Marie holding Emma (above)

Cory taking a typical Cory shot! At least this time he wasnt lying down in the middle of the road. Fortunetely he has not yet been struck by a speeding car.

One of the most impressive vistas was the Fire Canyon Overlook. It was amazing how the red and white color change was so abrupt.

Marjory Kay really wanted to go on a hike so we hike the White Dome loop. This was a fun/easy trail that had a little bit of fun for everyone. There was scrambling, slot canyons and arches to explore and photograph all in a 1 1/2 mile hike.

One of my favorite parts of VOFSP is rock art record left by ancient inhabitants. Even in such a desolate, out of the way place, ancient civilizations found the place to be sacred as proven by the record of petroglyphs. The first picture is of the famous atlatl rock. I have a better pic of the atlatl that I will find later, but if you look at the very top you can barely see the atlatl.

Perhaps the most fun hike that the Reese children did was the hike to Mouses Tank. Mouse was a renegade Paiute who plagued the early settlers. He would hide in this canyon when the early white settlers searched for him. The reason the kids liked the canyon so much was the amount of lizards they found and unsuccessfully attempted to catch. I think Jackson counted over 20. I enjoyed the hike because in half a mile hundreds of rock art was easily found. My favorite one was a panel that included a desert tortoise.

Even pregnant, Renee is still HOT!!

A petroglyph of a desert tortoise (below, middle of picture)

More Red Cliffs Desert Reserve

More Red Cliffs Desert Reserve

Ive decided that the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve (RCDR) is truly underrated! My latest trip there was one of my hiking highlights of 2008 and this time I was able to share the experience with Trevor. Without any source of information whatsoever(is this a word?), I plotted our journey up the north face of Sandstone Mountain, and then down the south side of the mountain (we are not mountain climbers, we merely found a possible way up and down without any type of technical skills other than scrambling) Once on top we were able to see LaVerkin, with an stunning view of West Temple in the background, the city of Hurricane, Leeds, Pinevalley, and as far south as Sand Hollow. After spending some time contemplating on top of the mountain we began to pick, or slide down the backside of the mountain. The best part of our trip was found tumbling down the mountain! Amazing colors, rock formations, even windows in the rocks dazzled our eyes and minds. I was nearly as impressed with the sights and colors we saw, as when I first saw the Wave in the Paria Wilderness Area. After nearly rolling our ankles on several occasion because we couldnt keep our eyes on the trail due to the beauty of the area, we were able to cross the backside of the mountain and reach the arch that I wrote about it an earlier posting. This time I had time to actually sit and enjoy the little arch.



Today was a day not soon to be forgotten for either me or Trevor! Here are some pictures.



1/2 way up the north face of Sandstone Mtn.

I have no idea how I took this picture, but it looks like Trevor is traveling through some time warp.

Overlooking LaVerkin and West Temple (ZNP)

We saw some CRAZY weathering of rocks!

Even the moss was more artistic in the RCDR

Some of the differences in color of the sandstone was similar to the Wave.

Just the icing on the cake of a perfect day