Wall Calendar Triggers Grand Canyon Of COVID Torments

 

That which you see here is on the wall of my computer room.

Which would make that which you see here a wall calendar.

It has now been over a year since I have travelled further than 40 miles from my abode. 

I have not even been to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metromess for over a year. 

And this National Park themed wall calendar regularly torments me with reminders of scenic places I have been. 

For March it is Grand Canyon National Park.

I first saw Grand Canyon when I was 19. I had been to Yellowstone, and seeing the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and thinking it quite impressive, I suggested heading south a few hundred miles to see the more famous Grand Canyon.

Before getting to Grand Canyon we visited Bryce Canyon and Zion Canyon, vowing to return, soon, with proper hiking gear.

After Bryce and Zion it was on to Grand Canyon. The North Rim. This truly was one of the more overwhelming shockingly scenic things I had ever seen. I was already in scenic wonder overload due to Bryce and Zion.

Ironically, it was just a brief visit to several of the North Rim overlooks, and then on to Las Vegas, then Los Angeles and Disneyland, vowing to return, soon, to Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon.

It was just a few years later, in, I think, 1979, that I drove the longest roadtrip I ever drove, visiting places like Colorado and New Mexico and Texas for the first time. Just a little bit of Texas, after caving at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. 

Eventually made it to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, and hiked the Bright Angel Trail all the way to the Colorado. Going down was easy, going back to the top was brutal, and did not make it there til an hour after dark.

I don't remember for sure what came after Grand Canyon, that time. Probably Vegas and then on to Los Angeles. I think this was the time I stayed in San Diego for a few days and went to both the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park, or whatever it was called. I recollect going to a Sir George's buffet in a suburb of San Diego and driving around in Tijuana for a few miles. 

I did not make it back to Zion National Park til 1992, also visiting the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, before heading to Vegas. I never have managed to hike the Angel's Landing trail in Zion which I vowed to hike some day, after seeing a Ranger presentation in the Zion campground on that first visit to Zion.

I was back at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon the last day of 1993, staying overnight in Flagstaff. There was snow at the top of the canyon and the trails were ice covered at that elevation, so no hiking.

But, that same trip had me seeing this cool looking location on the San Juan River, north of Monument Valley. The San Juan Inn in Mexican Hat, Utah.

That following year I organized a group roadtrip, from which my Internet nickname came. As I made various reservations I would mail out itinerary info to my fellow roadtrippers, calling the mailing "Durango Dean's Wild West Adventure Tour" or something like that.

This trip began with four days of houseboating on Lake Powell, cruising all the way to Rainbow Bridge National Monument, then off the houseboat to the treacherous descent down the Moki Dugway, to the aforementioned town of Mexican Hat to stay at the San Juan Inn. Which had a wonderful restaurant, owned and operated by Navajo, where I learned I like Indian fry bread.

After Mexican Hat it was on to Monument Valley and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, where I had booked us log cabins. This was in mid October of that year. During the night a blizzard blew in. By morning we were trapped, awaiting snow plows to clear the road. It was wonderful, one of my favorite experiences ever.

When we were able to leave it was on to Zion where we had rooms booked in the National Park lodge. We did a lot of hiking at Zion, but still no hike to Angel's Landing. After Zion it was on to Vegas for four days, then an overnight stay in cabins at Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley. That was also one special night. Best swimming pool ever.

I got a flat tire in Death Valley. That turned out to be added fun. After Death Valley it was time to head north, towards home, with a night in Mammoth Lakes, a quick detour into Yosemite, an overnight in Redding, and then home.

That was one fun roadtrip, slightly repeated five years later with a different cast of characters, though some were the same. Did not enjoy the houseboat so much that time. But the Moki Dugway and Mexican Hat were again fun. As was staying several days in Moab, mountain biking. After Moab part of the group headed back to Washington, whilst two vehicles, including mine, headed to Durango, then overnighting in the Imperial Hotel ( I think that was the name ) in Silverton. The high elevation was taxing. Enjoyed it immensely, particularly imbibing in the hotel's saloon. The next day the other vehicle, after heading north on the Million Dollar Highway, began its return to Washington, while I continued on through Colorado, eventually coming to the headwaters of the Rio Grande.

Overnighted that night in Taos. I want to go back to Taos. And would have by now if it were not for the COVID intervention which mucked up a Taos visit plan. After Taos it was south to Alamogordo, overnight. An event there at the National Space Museum turned highly entertaining. 

After Alamogordo is was on to White Sands National Monument, eventually overnighting in a scary border town called Douglas, across the border from Agua Preita in Mexico. Next day discovered Bisbee. Loved it. Then happened upon Tombstone when they were having their annual Hellorado Days Celebration. Weirdest parade I have ever seen. Loved it.

After Tombstone it was on to Yuma, a couple years before my mom and dad moved there. Had a mighty fine time crossing the border to Algadones, Mexico. And then it was time to head north, to Vegas, again, then Tonopah, then Reno, then back to Washington.

I miss taking a good long roadtrip. Some days I get feeling doing such things will never happen again.

I probably should take that wall calendar off the wall, what with its reminders of places seen and in need of being seen. So far, though only in March, I've been to the National Parks on the calendar. those being January was Grand Tetons National Park, February was Sequoia National Park.

Let me sneak a peak at April.

Yosemite National Park. 

I've only been to Yosemite three times. And have only overnighted there once, staying three days in a cabin at Camp Curry. Would love to do that again. Maybe not Camp Curry, but the National Park lodge instead. I forget its name, but it's a famous one, Ahwahnee, that's it...

Paragliding From Erie Mountain To Real Island On A Real Island

Saw that which you see above this morning via the You Know You're From Anacortes When...Facebook page.

In the center of the photo that is a paraglider gliding from Mount Erie. Anacortes is a few miles to the northwest of this location. The Skagit Valley and my old home zone of Mount Vernon is a few miles to the east, or left, in the photo.

For someone from Fort Worth, unfamiliar with such, those chunks of land surrounded by water are what are known as actual islands. Not imaginary islands created by digging a cement lined ditch and diverting polluted river water into the ditch. 

The water you see in the distance is saltwater, part of the north end of Puget Sound. The water you see with an island in it is Lake Campbell. A freshwater lake. Lake Campbell is on Fidalgo Island, which makes that island in Lake Campbell a rare instance of an island on an island.

That body of land you see in the upper right of the photo is Whidbey Island, accessed via the nearby Deception Pass Bridge, or via ferry boat at two locations further south on Whidbey Island.

Fort Worth's imaginary island, if it ever sees that cement lined ditch successfully dug, will not need a ferry to access it. Access will be via three pitiful bridges, built over dry land, which have been stuck in slow motion construction mode, with an ever shifting project timeline, ever since 2014, with an, even then, astonishing four year project timeline.

That aforementioned Deception Pass Bridge, built almost a century ago, over actual deep, fast moving water, was built in less than a year. An actual feat of difficult engineering resulting in an actual iconic signature bridge.

Way back in October of 2014, about the time Fort Worth has itself a TNT exploding ceremony to mark the start of construction of its three little bridges being built over dry land, we blogged Washington's Deception Pass Bridge Took A Deceptively Short Time To Build. 

Who would have thought, way back then, in 2014, that in 2021 we would still be talking about those unfinished Fort Worth bridges being built over dry land? And that those responsible for this fiasco have not lost their jobs...

Rock & Rolling The Circle Trail

I was back in the Wichita Bluff Nature Area area today, parking on the parking lot at Loop 11 and the Circle Trail. That location is east of the actual Wichita Bluff Nature Area, but is in the area of the Nature Area, about a half mile east of the arch one passes under to enter the actual Nature Area.

I got myself a music playing device yesterday. It's been years since I last had radio headphones which kept me entertained whilst mountain biking. When those old radio headphones broke I was unable to find a suitable replacement, as such devices had fallen out of favor, replaced by pods and earbuds.

And then yesterday whilst perusing electronic devices at Walmart, I saw a newfangled version of my old radio headphones, with this newfangled version being a little thing attached to a cord with earbuds at its end. This new device was easy to program with dozens of preset stations, both AM and FM.

And so today I rock and rolled while walking on the Circle Trail.

That photo you see at the top was taken near that aforementioned parking lot at Loop 11 and the Circle Trail. I think the tall grass makes for interesting foliage.

 Before I headed west on the Circle Trail, I headed east to check out the current state of the Circle Trail extension which soon, hopefully, will extend all the way to Lucy Park. Much progress has occurred since I was at this location a couple weeks ago.

I was slightly overdressed for today's hiking. Yesterday I had the opposite problem. It is hard to determine what level of layering is needed when factoring in the chilling effect of a constant wind with blustery gusts.

Yesterday the wind made for a chilly outdoor experience. Today, the same temperature, with no wind, made for overheating due to being overdressed without the chilling wind.

If it warms up enough I think I will take my new music playing device on a bike ride later today. I need to amp up the exercise in order to get rid of the COVID poundage before I venture north in a couple months...

Return Of The Headache Free Shadow Of The Wichita Bluff Thin Man

An almost cloud free sky made for a well lit shadow of the Wichita Bluff Nature Area Thin Man today.

I had camera, well, phone, in hand, having removed it from its storage location on my cargo shorts, hoping to be able to get a photo of the roadrunner which had run across the Circle Trail about 50 feet ahead of me.

But, the illusive bird was not seen again once I had the phone ready to take a picture.

So, when I saw my shadow looking so dark I switched from looking for the roadrunner, to taking a picture of the Shadow of the Thin Man.

I look as if I have lost an arm. 

I think the winds which have been blowing strong from the west have blown away the allergens which were causing me to be in constant sinus headache mode.

Being in constant sinus headache mode is extremely tiresome. Even after taking a medication which lessened the severity of the misery, there was still a constant dull ache.

That is now gone.

Today I hiked as far as the highest point in the Wichita Bluff Nature Area before turning around.

At the highest point on the Wichita Bluffs there is a covered picnic pavilion with two picnic tables. 

In the view above we are looking east at the Wichita River and the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Wichita Falls in the distance.

There were a lot of people enjoying the Nature Area today, having fun with the strong gusts which seemed to make it a challenge at times to remain vertical. 

I had planned on going on an early evening bike ride today, what with pleasant temperatures and extra daylight, but the sky has clouded up in the last hour, and possible thunderstorms are now on the weather menu.

Tiptoe With Me Through The Skagit Valley Daffodils

I saw that which you see screen capped above this morning on Facebook, via the "You Know You're From Anacortes When..." Facebook page.

The caption says "Daffodils are beginning to pop up around Skagit County. This is a field located across from Christianson's Nursery in Mount Vernon".

To which someone commented saying, "That's what I miss the most since I moved away..."

The Mount Vernon town referenced is the town I live in before moving to Texas. For Flatlander Texans reading this, that big wall of blue in the distance, behind the daffodils, are what are known as foothills. In this case, foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

Anacortes is not part of the Skagit Valley, but the town is in Skagit County. Anacortes is on Fidalgo Island, and is the location of my nephew Jason's Fidalgo Drive-In.

The flowers blooming in the Skagit Valley every spring is not what I miss most since I moved away. I think fresh produce, readily available, along with fresh seafood, also readily available, I miss more than seeing fields of colorful flowers.

This century I have been back in the Skagit Valley only one time during the tulip blooming time of the year. That being April of 2006, when I was in the valley to go to the aforementioned Nephew Jason's first wedding. That time I was in the valley for only part of one day, and during that day we did not drive out to the Skagit Flats, where the flowers bloom.

When I lived in Mount Vernon, particularly when I lived in West Mount Vernon, before moving across the river to East Mount Vernon, I was not all that fond of the tulips and the throngs of visitors the flowers brought, from all over the world, to the Skagit Valley.

The month long Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is an extremely well done operation. The festival began several decades ago, and created massive traffic problems from the start. Which is why I was not all that fond of this event, whilst living in West Mount Vernon.

But over the years multiple fixes have greatly exacerbated the traffic congestion. Things like directional signage, alternative freeway exits to keep Mount Vernon from getting clogged up by people exiting via the Mount Vernon exits. Tour buses were added, where people could park at one of the valley's mall's parking lots and ride a bus to tour the tulips. And venues were added, like Tulip Town, to spread the visitors all over the Skagit Flats.

The Skagit Valley is pretty much one BIG tourist attraction. It's the gateway to North Cascades National Park. La Conner is the valley's top tourist town. Anacortes is where you find the gateway to the San Juan Islands, via ferry boats, which will also take you to Victoria, British Columbia.

Where I currently am located, in Texas, there is not a single tourist attraction, remotely tourist worthy, for hundreds of miles in any direction you choose to go. No foothills or mountains. No ocean waves waving within hundreds of miles. No tourist towns.

However, this month something starts to happen in Texas which I never saw happening in Washington. That being wildflowers appearing and coloring up the landscape. It really is sort of spectacular to see, particularly down in Texas Hill Country.

Just a sec, I shall see if I can find the link to the webpage I made years ago of the Texas Wildflowers.

Found the link to that wildflower webpage, which is what you see via clicking the last two words in the paragraph above...

Balmy Bluff Bench Sitting With Minimalist Sinus Headache

Today is Day Five of having a constant headache, to varying degrees of aching.

Yesterday I learned this was a sinus headache. And so suitable medication was acquired and so now the constant headache only throbs distantly, barely noticeable.

Feeling better I thought getting some natural medicine, via aerobic activity generating endorphins, was a good idea. My best go to place for such, other than riding my bike, is to hike the hills in the Wichita Bluff Nature Area.

The second Saturday of the 2021 version of March at my location is a relatively balmy temperature in the 70s. Clouds are beginning to build for the predicted possibly severe thunderstorms later today.

A constant wind was blowing whilst I was on the Bluffs, with gusts causing me to repeatedly grab my hat to prevent it from flying away.

I stopped for a bit of a linger on the bench at the location you see in the above photo documentation. The view is slightly to the northwest.

I made note of that house you see across the ravine from my first time seeing it from the Bluffs. It looks to be in the same style as my old home in Mount Vernon, Washington. Sort of. 

A couple times I have tried to find the road which leads to that house, to no avail. I think it is at the end of a long driveway, with a gate blocking access from the main road.

It is now time for a late lunch, and to take my sinus headache medication...

Returning Again To My Old Washington Home With More Detail

 

A few days ago my Favorite Nephew Jason caused me to virtually Return To My Old Home In Mount Vernon Washington.

In blogging about my return to my old home I made mention of some of the changes that sort of unsettled me for inexplicable reasons.

And I mentioned wondering what was done to the bathrooms, specifically mentioning wondering about the first floor bathroom and its heavy metal blue fixtures.

Well, this morning the aforementioned Nephew Jason emailed me a link to a different realtor's listing of my old home.

And in that listing there are 38 photos, giving me a much better idea of the changes made to my old home, including the downstairs bathroom, which you see above. I'm guessing no one could figure out an easy way to get that tub out of there. Additionally I was surprised to see the tile I installed all those years ago is still there. 

The photo of the upstairs bathroom, that being the one which was mine, surprised me with the new sink. One of those trough type things which became trendy a few years back.

After I blogged about my old home zone, after that first listing which Nephew Jason sent me, Elsie Hotpepper texted me saying she was only able to see one photo. I guess the Hotpepper was curious to see what's been changed, familiar as she was with the original version, due to frequent visits...

Yellow Wildflower Harbinger Of Coming Texas Spring

Overnight one of the harbingers of spring arrived on the landscape outside my abode. Spring is scheduled to be sprung in 10 days, March 20.

I don't know the name of the colorful yellow wildflower you see above. Dozens  bloomed overnight. This wildflower does not have a pleasant fragrance. I would say it instead has an unpleasant fragrance.

Soon my favorite Texas wildflowers should be blooming, as in the Evening Primroses.

This morning the reason I exited my abode, and saw the newly arrived splashes of yellow color, was because I was driving to Lucy Park to have myself a salubrious communing with nature via walking the Lucy Park backwoods zone.

The Lucy Park nature communing went well. But, I saw none of the colorful yellow wildflowers coloring up Lucy Park. 

What with the temperature warming, as in yesterday we got into the 80s, this time of year, whilst walking a backwoods zone, one must be on the lookout for frisky snakes enjoying the return of warmth to their slithery cold blooded selves.

The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup should be happening next weekend. If memory serves that Roundup is always the second weekend of March. Maybe it has been cancelled due to COVID...

Washington Ranked Best State In Union With Texas Ranked 19th Worst

I saw that which you see here this morning on the front page of the online version of the Seattle Times, some Local News that Washington named the best state in the union for the second year in a row.

Clicking the link to see who or what it was which named my old home state as the best in the union brought me to a article titled...

Best States Rankings--Measuring outcomes for citizens using more than 70 metrics

Where it was easily seen that it was US News & World Report which was doing the ranking of the American states, from best to worst.

The first paragraph of this ranking article explains how the ranking was done...

Some states shine in health care. Some soar in education. Some excel in both – or in much more. The Best States ranking of U.S. states draws on thousands of data points to measure how well states are performing for their citizens. In addition to health care and education, the metrics take into account a state’s economy, its roads, bridges, internet and other infrastructure, its public safety, the fiscal stability of state government, and the opportunity it affords its residents.

As one expects with these type rankings the usual suspects are at the top, as well as the bottom.

Texas came in as the 31st Best State, or looked at a different way, the 19th Worst State. 

The first three paragraphs of the Seattle Times Washington named the best state in the union for the second year in a row article amused me due to triggering the memory of something which started bugging me soon after I moved to Texas, that being a tendency of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram to tout this, that or the other perfectly mundane thing as being something which would cause other towns, far and wide, to be green with envy. 

I found the Star-Telegram's green with envy verbiage and its various iterations to be so bizarre. It was several years later when a lifelong Texan explained this type bragging was born of Fort Worth's civic inferiority complex. I don't know if that explained it, or not. 

So, the first three paragraphs of this Seattle Times article about something legitimately brag-worthy...

Everyone knows the Pacific Northwest is the best and Washington is the best of the best, especially compared to other states.

But that seems kind of mean and elitist, so we don’t talk about it too much among our friends from other states, right? Right?

U.S. News & World Report, however, has no such compunction, boldly naming Washington the best state in the union for the second time in a row — the only state to be so named twice — and unapologetically identifying the worst.

Anyway, this extremely comprehensive analysis of the American states sure does explain to me why I experienced such culture shock when first exposed to many things in Texas. I came from progressive liberal Washington, to a state not known for being progressive. Or liberal. Or well educated.

I did not know til reading this US News & World Report that Washington has the fastest growing economy in the nation. I know when I am up in Washington I sure do notice it appears to be way more prosperous than my current location. 

If you listen to right wing nuts jobs, a peculiar breed of which Texas has many, Washington should not be doing too well economically. It has been several years now since Seattle (and many other west coast locations) raised the minimum wage to $15.

Just last week I read in the Seattle Times that 19 new restaurants were opening this month.

During the pandemic slowdown...

Wichita Bluff Nature Area After Falling Into Bathtub Hoodoos

I had what I think must have been a sleep walking incident last night. I was in my bathroom, apparently asleep, and went to get back in bed, except I was still in the bathroom, where there is no bed.

Instead I lowered myself into the bathtub, eventually crashing down on my tailbone, real hard. I awoke to find my legs draped over the edge of the tub, with me unable to pull myself up. Thrashing around I somehow turned the faucet on, cold water. That woke me up fast, with me quickly swinging around and getting vertical.

What a living nightmare.

I thought I would end up badly bruised, with a big blotch of purple. But, no sign of such. 

So, to unkink my aches and pains I decided a salubrious walk with nature via the Wichita Bluff Nature Area would be a mighty fine thing to do.

I figured right.

I sat on the bench you see above for a few minutes, pondering my multiple miseries and woes. And then started walking again.

Eventually I came to the location where I usually find a Wichita Bluff Hoodoo. Or two.

 As you can see via me standing on the Mars-like landscape, there is only a pile of rocks at Hoodoo Central.

I hope last night's sleep walking incident does not portend a return to this happening multiple times. I already have sufficient aggravations. I do not need a new one...