Anasazi Granaries

I had always wanted to visit the granaries that Colin Fletcher mentioned in his book River, but I assumed one needed special permission to do that. But all it takes is a modest hike in Marble Canyon. Guides Greg and Cassy (on the left) led this group of 'fast' hikers. I, of course, brought up the rear.

Marble Canyon

Marble Canyon begins just below Lee's Ferry and ends at the Little Colorado River where the river turns west and you enter Grand Canyon. It is narrow and and beautiful in a more intimate way than Grand Canyon can be.

Glen Canyon

Most of Glen Canyon lies beneath Lake Powell. This is the little that remains, a small bit between Glen Canyon dam and Lee's Ferry. It is all that is left.

I finished my Colorado River trip at the beginning of Lake Powell in 1999. This is the beginning of my raft trip through the next section of the Colorado.

been there, done that!

Rafting the Grand Canyon was a spectacular trip. I was so glad that I first saw the Grand Canyon the way John Westley Powell saw it... from the Colorado River. The mind simply boggles at the jumble of geology around you. And the silence is so rare in this world that we now live in. This was a row trip where silence is golden. We would occasionally see the motor trips with passengers packed in like sardines going hell bent for leather. Thank you, Canyoneers. Your crew was as exceptional as my fellow passingers.

Oh, yes, there was the little matter of that walk out. There was so much worry about that little hike. It was roughly 5000 feet up and 7.7 miles long. While it was no 'piece of cake', it was not worth all that worry. Took me a couple of minutes under five and a half hours. Keenan and his sister matched my time up, but I left first, so they were never able to catch me. I am obnoxiously proud of being the first one up at the tender chronological age of 3 score and 6. And no, we won't discuss my mental age! As usual, Gene Pass was right. If you can bicycle, you can walk... even the Bright Angel Trail.

There will be more posts and pictures next week when I arrive home!

Gas Prices

Prices are all over the map out west. The highest I have seen is $4.73 for premium, which is what I have been using. $4.47 is the highest I have had to pay so far, with $4.05 the cheapest. The only good news is I have yet to pay $50 or more for a fillup yet... but it was close. I never let the tank get below 1/4 full here in the west. It can be a damned long way to the next gas station.

Just after posting the story of the French family in Burger King, I read in The New York Times that burgers are THE new, new thing in Paris. Who would have thunk? That Times article said nothing about Cheesy Tots, however.

Blog Troubles in Flagstaff

I quit, I quit, I quit.

see http://www.geocities.com/fortymile/blog.html

for what this should say.

meeting is in a few hours, I will pack tonight and ship out tomorrow morning. I'll be back on Tuesday evening, assuming I can walk up that Bright Angel Trail. I decided against taking a look at it today. Better I should just put one foot in front of another next Tuesday!

Ditto Page, AZ

There are just as many Europeans here as there were in Moab. Most notable was the French speaking family with 4 children in Burger King. Cheesy tots were a big hit with their teenagers! Oh my, oh my! It was astonishing to see how much care was taken in choosing their greasy meal. And then there is Camilla Shannon, who will be entering second grade this year. She has never been to McDonalds, so there is some hope after all.

The only thunderstorm in northern AZ was over Lake Powell last night, complete with a rainbow. With luck, I have a worthy picture of it all. I need to finish this as there is a line for this computer at 5:19 AM here in Motel 6. What are we thinking?

"No Habla Ingles" in Moab

Moab, Utah, that is. There are plenty of tourists, they just don't speak English! As I walked into the Motel 6, the front desk folks were paging frantically thru an English/French dictionary. Today I said something to a young man, who gave me the most completely blank expression I have ever seen. And that is saying something as I taught computer programming for 10 years! The good news is the younger women have brought European styles with them. They conserve on the use of cloth in their clothing. Am in Page, AZ today, hiding from the sun through the afternoon. Can't do that in two days, when the fun starts.

trippin'

Driving cross-country is a breeze, there is no one on the road! Though I just learned the Comfort Inn is full tonight... we just squeaked into the only room left, apparently. Missouri is full of billboards, but many are unrented. The cleverist ones are asking someone to rent them.

Kansas has beautiful classical music and not even that many trucks on I70. AND there are plenty of jobs here, apparently. Matt, search for 'Kansas job links' as there are a lot of colleges and universities here.

We are abpit 4 hours from Boulder, so it should not be a long day tomorrow... or so I hope!

Accessable Clive Barker?

That is what the book jacket promised. "Yeah, RIGHT!" methought... but his novel, Galilee, is, in fact, very readible. Many years ago I tried to read Weaveworld, but gave up long before the end. If you need some summer reading, try this book. I had a very hard time putting it down. Thanks, Matt!

Summer's Abundance

Even with the cool wet weather we have experienced so far, wth wild raspberries are ripe on the bike trail and I made the first (small) batch of early harvest apple sauce. By the time I return we will have sweet corn, blackberries and tomatoes... life is good!

what is in the bag?

Patricia and Mark in a blast from the past!

First Phone Call from Emma

Of course, at 13 months we onlyhad the phone ring. That little girl does love cell phones! And now she can use them to make calls... is this a portent of things to come?