Roadblocked In Texas Remembering Roadtripping Monument Valley Etcetera

A Microsoft OneDrive Memory from this Day, that I do remember. And I do remember this memory happened in October. The exact day, I do not remember. Or the exact year. It was either 1997 or 1998.

That is me looking into the lens of my long gone antique Casio digital camera, with its selfie taking feature which was years ahead of its time.

The others in the photo were floaters with me on Lake Powell, living on a houseboat for four days. In the photo, from left to right, that is Danielle, then Wally, next to his twin, Big Ed, then the twin's little sister, Lydia, with Wally's first wife, Wanda on the right. Not in the photo were fellow floaters, Danielle's first husband, Ross, and Lydia's first husband, Keith.

The scenery in the photo likely looks familiar if you've ever watched a movie set in the Wild West, such as Stagecoach, and many others. That is a section of Monument Valley you are looking at. 

I am a bit confused as to the itinerary of this trip. I think our first destination was Moab, for a few days, exploring Arches National Park and the Fiery Furnace and Canyonlands National Park. And mountain biking the Slick Rock Trail.

From Moab we trekked to Bullfrog Basin on Lake Powell, from whence we houseboated. Getting off the houseboat we ferried across Lake Powell. I think the ferry was called Hall's Crossing. I may be wrong about that.

After the houseboat the destination was Mexican Hat and the San Juan Inn. The route to that Inn involved driving down the treacherous Moki Dugway. It was from Mexican Hat we crossed the San Juan River into the Navaho Nation and Monument Valley.

After Monument Valley it was back to Moab for a couple days. Then the group split up, my remaining group heading to Durango, overnighting in Silverton, then on to Taos, Alamogordo, White Sands National Park, Tombstone, Yuma, Algodones, Mexico, Las Vegas, then back to Washington.

This turned out to be the last long roadtrip I have tripped on. Well, unless you count the drives back and forth between Texas and Washington....

Remembering Moab Fiery Furnace Gemini Bridges Porcupine Rim Slick Rock

Yesterday I found myself lamenting about how long it has been since I have been in Utah.

It was a photo of Bryce Canyon that had me realizing I've not been in Utah this century. There was a period back in the last century where I found myself in Utah once a year. Usually including a multi-day stay in Moab, the Mountain Biking Capital of the World.

In the Moab area there are miles upon miles of mountain bike trails. That would be the Slick Rock Trail you see above. Me on the left, Big Ed on the right. If I remember correctly, Wanda took the photo.

I did not complete the entire Slick Rock Trail. My mountain biking skills were not up to it. But, I did manage to bike the entire Gemini Bridges Trail. The Gemini Bridges part of the trail was a bit scary. To bike this trail required one vehicle to be left at the end of the trail, so as to drive back to the trailhead where the vehicle which delivered the bikes to the trail was left. 

That same mountain biking week in Moab that I biked the Gemini Bridges Trail I also biked the Porcupine Rim Trail. This turned out to be the most difficult bike ride I have ever been on. This trail also involved multiple vehicles. My van was left at the end of the trail. I forget the precise logistics. I was so exhausted by the end all I wanted to know was where was my van parked.

The Porcupine Rim Trail starts with an ascent of a couple thousand feet, eventually reaching Porcupine Rim, a steep drop off to the valley below. From that point to the end it was mostly a strenuous downhill coast. I do not ever remember being so exhausted as I was by this bike ride.

Moab is also near to two of Utah's National Parks. Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park.

In Arches National Park you will find the Fiery Furnace Hike. This is a ranger guided hike, requiring registering at the ranger station at the entry to Arches, and paying a hiking fee. It was 10 bucks when I last hiked the Fiery Furnace, back in the late 1990s.

The reason the Fiery Furnace hike requires a ranger to lead is because the hike is a maze of slot canyons in which it is easy to get disoriented and lost. It can get way too HOT. The Fiery Furnace has seen some fatalities over the years.

In the above photo that is Big Ed helping his sister, Lydia, cross a deep chasm.

Deep into the Fiery Furnace the ranger calls for a rest stop. During this period the ranger regales the hikers with tales about the Fiery Furnace.

I am fairly certain I will never mountain bike any of the Moab area trails again. But, I sure would enjoy hiking the Fiery Furnace trail again, that and all the other trails in Arches National Park.

It was the view from Islands in the Sky, in Canyonlands National Park, back on New Year's Day of 1995, that I saw mountain bikers way below, thinking to myself, that looks fun. So, upon returning to Washington I bought my first mountain bike, and by the next Spring I returned to Moab and had myself a mighty fine time mountain biking.

I forgot to mention that after lamenting to myself yesterday about it being so long since I've been in Utah, this morning's email's Microsoft OneDrive Memories from this Day, included the photos you have seen in this blog posting. 

However, these photos were taken in October, not March....

Linda Lou Takes Me Back To Delicate Arch With Sky Islands

Yesterday whilst blogging about Linda Lou Leading Me Back To Skagit Valley Black and Blue Berry Picking I made mention of the fact that Linda Lou had caused me to re-locate photos I had not realized I'd sort of lost, and that many of those photos had been taken with my long gone antique Casio digital camera.

Finding those sort of lost photos had me looking at scenes I had not seen in a long time.

Such as that which you see here.

My long gone Casio camera was way ahead of its time. The camera had the ability to rotate the lens which allowed for the easy taking of what we now call "selfies".

I was a frequent selfie photo taker during that era, something I have mostly balked at when doing such became so ubiquitous, and sort of annoying.

In the selfie above I believe the year was 1998. The location was Arches National Park in Utah.

If I remember right the work of Mother Nature behind me in the selfie was known as Wanda. The other work of Mother Nature behind me is known as Delicate Arch.

Delicate Arch is one of the iconic symbols of Utah. One sees it on Utah license plates.

The hike to Delicate Arch has some elevation gain, but not enough to be what one might think of as strenuous, but definitely more strenuous than most of the hikes in Arches NP, with the only other actual semi-strenuous Arches NP hike being the Fiery Furnace Hike.

The Fiery Furnace hike is a bit treacherous, and thus requires signing up for it at the Ranger Station, paying a fee, and having a Park Ranger lead the way through the confusing maze of trails.

I have twice hiked the Fiery Furnace hike, and enjoyed it both times.

I would like to see a return to Moab, and Arches National Park, and Canyonlands National Park, which is nearby.

I think I saw Canyonlands NP selfies whilst strolling through the collection. I will go see if I can find one of those...

In this selfie I am looking at you from Islands in the Sky in Canyonlands National Park. I remember it being windy that day, and cold. The month was October, if I am remembering correctly.

Well, that should end today's selfie trail down memory lane...