Buckskin Gulch - White House - Toadstools

Last April we had three weeks of rain, and I wanted so badly to get out of town and into some sun. This April we finally realized a decade long dream of going to the Grand Canyon. We tacked on a few side trips along the way.

We flew to Phoenix and then hit the road to Vermilion cliffs and Paria Canyon. Driving all day, we arrived in Page, AZ after dark, and then couldn't find our campground. Fortunately, I had gotten a good deal on an SUV so (after driving back and forth in the dark) we just pulled off of the highway and slept in the car.

In the morning we drove along a muddy, rutted road to the trailhead for Buckskin gulch. Mr. X negotiated the muddy road well, but we were both glad to have four-wheel drive. We were a little surprised when a Canadian couple bounced into parking lot in a little rented sedan. We hiked with Amanda and her husband for much of the gulch.

We hiked to progressively narrow canyon walls. Traversing cold water puddles, enjoying the sun reflecting on the ribbon-ed rocks. We spotted a mouse and marveled at the remains of flood debris more than 40 feet above our heads.

Knowing that thunderstorms were in the forecast, we hustled out of the canyon after hitting a dead end in the form of a boulder the size of school bus. On the way back we spotted some pictographs on the wall. 

The road had dried significantly, so we had little trouble getting back to highway 89. We stopped at the Whitehouse Campground for dinner and the host told us about the white conch shell formation up the second wash. The thunderstorm rolled through right above Buckskin Gulch.

We were also guided to the Toadstools. The weather followed us and we did not wish to be out in the open  with lightning.

We headed into Page loving the views of the Glen Canyon area, including the Glen Canyon dam.

Fantastic 4

I'll be the first person to tell you not to run up a credit card bill or carry a balance...but I do like it when Visa sends us tickets to a special pre-screening of a (B)movie complete with drink and popcorn.

I don't really have a good record staying awake in superhero movies, but we headed over to the theater on a Wednesday evening last August. After getting our tickets and going through security - no recording devices - we found some great seats. The theater was rocking, so many people excited about their free show. Mr. X turned in one of our tickets for a box of popcorn to share.

The movie wasn't award winning, but it was a fantastic free night out.

Bibliophile Dream Service Project

We're getting a new library location. On Saturday, when we went looking for a movie or two, I overheard the librarians filling everyone in on the what's going to happen. The mall location is closing August 31st, they're not sure when the new library will open, but all books and DVDs will be checked out for 8 weeks instead of the normal three.

When I approached the counter I noticed a sign that encouraged everyone to use all of the check-outs on their card - 40 - and then visit the new library when it opens to drop off your books. This will save the library on time and money in the relocation. Awesome idea. Mr. X and I were immediately game.

For our Family Night activity we took a field trip back to the library to start loading up on our allocated 80 books. Mr. X is aiming to clean out all fantasy/sci fi from the audio book section, and I'm having fun perusing the stacks for treasures.

The librarian gave us a knowing look and then laughed with us at our monstrous book piles.

Herbert Glacier bike ride

Mr. X and I had been taking Fridays off work to enjoy the spring weather. We'd been spoiled for choice.

There was one final thing I wanted...and Mr. X just didn't. So I borrowed a bike and took a solo cycle to Herbert Glacier. This is a trail designed for riding and I was thrilled to check it out...it's true that you never forget how to ride a bike. The last time I'd ridden was years ago in Washington DC of all places.

I quickly ate up the trail passing several families on foot and finally ditched the bike for the last half mile of the trail. I was rewarded with the blue glacier, mountain peaks and Herbert river. And a few wildflowers.

A great, easy ride, and I still had a whole day left for important things like a movie.

Eagle Glacier

A few years ago, we tried this trail on a hot, hot day in June. About two miles in, Mr. X broke his toe and there went our summer. This time, we made sure Mr. X had proper footwear and we were off.

Actually, we didn't start until about 2 pm and since we knew we had at least 10 miles round trip, we were in a bit of a hurry. We quickly passed the wide flat trail near the highway and headed into the rooty, rocky, windfall laden trail on the edge of the Eagle glacier river.

We spotted woodpeckers and just the tips of devil's club.

We crossed the river and many streams and were amazed to find elaborate planking covered with roofing material about three miles in. We thrilled at the sight of a beaver dam, which was flooding portions of the trail. We loved the blueberry bushes on the edge of a muskeg. And got yelled at by a few Stellar's Jays.

We made to the Eagle Glacier Cabin, but it was occupied so we backtracked down the trail to eat our dinner - pbJ with raisins and bananas - at the lake.

On the hike out we managed to walk right up on a black bear. He totally played it cool and even let me take his picture after we got some distance from him. He stood completely still chewing his cud, pretending he hadn't seen us. When we got completely around him, he turned and crouched in a defensive position. It had to be the day that I forgot to pack the bear spray. Mr. X reached for a couple stones that he carried for the next three miles in case the bear followed us. Once we had to scramble our neanderthal tools were abandoned.

We were treated to sights of a porcupine, kingfishers, swans and the calls of an owl.

Benjamin Island

In Mid-May we paddled out to Benjamin Island to see the sea lions. We hiked through the woods, surprised at how many wind falls there were and also surprised that someone had left a campfire smoldering. The breeze likely whipped it back up. I got a good chuckle at the new signs posted. It's never my intention to get close enough to a 500 lb animal to feed it. No thank you.

It was a Friday afternoon and so we had the island all to ourselves. A little creepy. A little satisfying. There was no one to make us feel guilty about how much time we spent watching the sea lions. I enjoyed seeing the little pups nursing and the teenagers harassing each other. Mr. X liked the lion with what appeared to be an entire salmon stuck to the side of his face...err looks like you got a little something right there.

There was enough of a cold breeze that we hiked back to east side of the island to eat our sandwiches. Mr. X was impressed with the new benches someone has made. On our paddle back to boulder beach we managed to scare both ourselves and a solitary sea lion. He was minding his own business, diving and playing. Unfortunately our timing was poor because he surfaced about 10 feet from us. We were glad he chose to re-dive immediately. Crossing back to the mainland we had to navigate through some fairly deep waters that also happen to go from protected to less protected. I'll admit the rolling waves made me a little sea-sick and I couldn't enjoy watching the water birds until we got out of the wind tunnel. Then I was pleased to see bonaparte gulls, scoters, and grebes.

Mining ruins

The spring whether has bit me like a bug. I can't get enough walking or hiking or relaxing on the beach. One evening I convinced Mr. X to follow some off the beaten path instructions I had found on the internet. There are some old prospector relics north of the West Glacier Trail and I wanted to find them.

Since Mr. X loves bushwhacking, this really wasn't a sacrifice for him and lucky for me, while it wasn't a beaten path, there definitely was a path the whole way. No windfalls to climb over, no trail tape or other markers necessary.

We found the broken glass, tin plates and cast iron pots.

We found the foundation of an old building -- maybe a prospector's cabin. I was delighted to find the trench and heavily veined rock.
A nice walk in a nice forest.

Lena Point

We have a new neighbor who likes to go out Friday nights. The going out isn't a problem, but the coming home at 3 a.m. is. The fact that it's now light at that time means if I'm woken, I'm up for day.

One Saturday I needed to get out and Mr. X and I headed out for a short hike to Lena Point. We were glad to see John Mikesell's Eagle Scout project is still around. Mr. X says though that the base needed some rocks so he carefully scrambled down the cliff face and hauled a couple large rocks up to use as foot stools. He found some prehistoric insects living on the rocks. He was pleased. I was a little grossed out.

While working on rocks, we spotted a large male orca. And then two more. And then a pod of three with a calf. All told we watched a dozen orcas pass by the point.

Bonfires and wildlife cruises

After 3 weeks of steady rain (April was 272% above normal) we finally breathed a sigh of relief at the end of the month. We reveled in the spring weather over a campfire at Auke Rec with Mr. X's sister and brother-in-law.

We used the coals from the previous group and Mr. X had the fire roaring immediately. The pup learned to swim...begrudgingly. And I was a spooked by noises in the bushes -- while pack rafting two days earlier, we had seen our first bear of the season on this beach.

The next morning we took the Audubon nature cruise out to Berner's Bay. We were treated to black oyster-catchers, Bonaparte gulls, sea lions, seals, river otters, and humpback whales.

You should have seen us all leap out of our seat though when the captain spotted a moose on the shore. These animals are a rare find near Juneau. Bet you can't see her though in my picture -- she was far away.

The Chilkats were lovely and it was a great day to be on the water.

Pt. Bishop Trail -- Thane

For Martin Luther King day, Mr. X and I decided to try the Point Bishop Trail which is at the end of the road on the south end of town.

We hadn't previously taken this trail as I had heard it was unmaintained. There are some areas that appear to have be preparing to wash out and there were a few windfalls, but the for the most part it is well maintained. Of course we were in rubber boots and full rain gear, so the muddy, root-y portions were ignored.

For the first mile and and half we were hiking above the Gastineau channel and frequently heard the calls of water birds. Eventually we split off and headed away from the water and into the forest. We wound around moss covered mountains and crossed crystal clear streams running quite quickly in our mild winter weather. 

I was nervous about frosty board walks, and narrow canyons, but thoroughly enjoyed the hike. We had to turn around though because the weak January sun was dropping low, and we didn't want to be out in the dark. We'll go back again and hope to be able to launch the rafts and some point along the trail, perhaps on the Taku River. 

Retreat at Shrine of St. Therese

Our new ward's Relief Society has a tradition of going to the Shrine of St. Therese each fall. I went out after work for dinner, games and a devotional. The theme was PJs party. Prayer, Journals, Scriptures and we had a good discussion of how we fit each into our days.

It was a partly clear evening so I enjoyed looking up at the stars...but cold enough I didn't stay outside for long. 

Late in the evening, the Relief Society President went next door to "the early to bed" AKA post office cabin and, scratching at the window, totally terrified the women. One particularly funny woman came back to the lodge to say that she was so scared she had to change her under pants! 

About 2 am, after two hours trying to sleep and the party still rocking, I packed up and went home. I needed sleep or I was going to be sick.

I was so glad I was able to go back early the next morning for breakfast and exploring of the shrine. I walked out the causeway to the chapel with a couple friends and we watch sea lions swim by.

After breakfast I wandered over to the gap which is a cabin you can use to get out of the weather as you look over the columbarium.

Dog-sitting and Alaska Day

We had ten days walking and hiking with a 15-year old gordon setter named Zoe who lives in downtown Juneau. We had our share of homegrown carrots, lunchtime walks, Taku winds, smoked salmon, and urban bears.

The bear made its appearance on the first night. We were heading the same direction and I wasn't too keen on following him while holding the leash on a dog that could pass for a shaggy bear cub. We tried to go walking in daylight after being stuck waiting for the bruin to head off into someone's yard.

We took Zoe on a 5 mile, 1800' hike to the tram on Mt. Roberts to celebrate Alaska day (we also walked her part-way up the lower Dan Moller trail, but there was frost and ice so none of us really enjoyed that one).

All along the way, we were greeted by others who were amazed by her stamina. "Yes, us too. No, we can't take credit for her health, we're just the sitters."

I was pretty nervous - as in I just can't watch that - when she'd venture too close to the cliff edge...she's deaf and getting cataracts... But she really enjoyed being off leash for a few miles.

At the top the wind had picked up and so we cancelled our goals to hike farther up the mountain.

The last quarter mile of the hike I was calling and clapping and offering treats, just hoping Zoe would return to me to get her leash back on. We waited for her to turn back but she just continued down the trail toward the parking lot. Did I mention that she's a bird dog that never figured out cars? At the road she made a bee-line to greet a stranger. Fortunately she timed it just right to avoid any traffic and finally saw me racing toward her, treat bag in hand.

Ice breaker Healy

When one of the Coast Guard's two ice breakers, the Healy, stopped in town we took the afternoon off work to tour the boat. This 420 foot boat does scientific studies in the Arctic as well as provides support to any distressed mariners up north.

Back in 2012, the Healy lead the Russian tanker Renda through the ice offshore Nome to ensure that the town got their winter fuel. An early storm had prevented them from getting their final shipment. The crew of the Healy gave up their Christmas holiday when they heard that Renda was willing to help and the turned around and headed back north.

It was fun to see the breaker's bridge and skiffs as well as their heliport. We were most surprised by the whole rack of bikes, I assume they use for shore excursions. On the bridge we were impressed by all the handles, floor surfaces, etc. to help them stay on their feet in rough water. I felt bad for the crew, having to constantly tell people not to climb on or swing from various equipment. One crew member  had lost her voice from talking all day, but she was still there answering questions.

After our tour we headed to Sandy beach to attend our neighbor's wedding and reception.

San Francisco

Mr. X had an assignment to attend a conference a.k.a geek camp in San Francisco and asked me to go with him this time around. Little did I know that when I bought my plane ticket, he would need me to be his sherpa...his back was still sore from his good deed a few weeks before. Yes, that was me with the backpacker pack and roller bag hiking the hill.

We arrived Saturday evening and after getting settled in the hotel went out to dinner at an Indian restaurant. Most reviews were favorable, but one had it totally wrong saying that it was inauthentic and that Indians wouldn't eat there. Liar!...all the servers appeared to be Indian, 85% of the patrons appeared to be Indian, and the Indian at the table next to us ordered his favorite home style dish -- which was not on the menu. We felt like we were being lavish, ordering multiple dishes and sides and were prepared for a big bill. It came out to less than $30.

Sunday morning we got ready for breakfast only to learn that there was a dress code -- I had to wear my church clothes to breakfast all week and Mr. X was chagrined he only had one collared shirt.

Sunday and Monday I visited my sister and her family. They showed off their fruit trees and made a batch of homemade lemonade from their lemons. Monday, there somehow ended up being three people in my bed. A couple kiddos were happy I had come to visit. : ) We visited the Winchester mansion and then had a picnic lunch at a park. I went back to San Francisco and planned a day riding the cable cars, visiting the cable car museum, beach, the crookedest street and maritime museum on the waterfront.

Wednesday, I walked from the hotel, across the Golden Gate Bridge. At a park on the other side a custodian told me that it was shorter to walk to Sausalito and then take the ferry back to San Francisco. Honestly, I think it was about the same distance, but it was a fun outing. I loved seeing all the birds at Golden Gate park - especially the pelicans. Before heading back to the hotel I went to Ghirardelli Square to buy a few pieces of chocolate.

Thursday I walked through China town to telegraph hill. It was fun to see all the sidewalk produce sellers and I was tempted by all the fresh ginger for sale. At one park there were masses of people doing tai chi, and I wished Mr. X could have seen it...he needs to try it with a group, if you ask me. I  was hoping to see the parrots of telegraph hill but didn't find them. After all the walking (and sunshine!) I was ready to get back to the hotel to do laundry, pack and finish my homework assignment for the week. 

Trail work

Our ward did a day of service for the State of Alaska Parks Department. When the day turned out to be miserably wet, we still had a blast. 

September 20th, we headed out to Point Bridget State Park to do some trail work. All decked out in rain gear and rubber boots, we shoveled pit run into wooden frames like this one.

Fortunately for us the rocks had be helicoptered in, so after our six hours of work we only had to carry back the empty bags for the state park to reuse.

We had people of all shapes and sizes. At one point I was explaining to a four and six year old how they could go into the trees and pick out clumps of moss to re-vegetate some of the eroded trail. The four year old started out enthusiastically, dropping tiny pieces of moss down the middle of the trail like Gretel from the old fairy tale. The crew chief bust his gut laughing at them.

I was relieved when about three hours into our project a couple Tongan men arrived, and they led the gravel bag dragging team like they were hitting the grid iron.

Afterward Mr. X said his back was sore and he injured it further helping some senior citizens cutting down a tree the next week. I may have had a run in with the shovels on Mr. X's shoulder. Thankfully my hat took the brunt of the impact. The next day I was shocked at the soreness of my fingers from all the shoveling.

When we hiked out to the Blue Mussel Cabin in January, we were pleased to see our efforts peeking out under the snow.