Monday, July 31, 2006

Adventure Day

I gotta say that I probably have one of the greatest jobs. I mean besides the usually traffic stops on a daily basis; there are days that I can leave the road and explore the unknown and untouched. So on Sunday BF and I did just that. Of course Jenna was not too pleased with us because she thinks she should get to go with us every time we leave the house. But since we were in the park, she had to stay home. Her fun would come later in the day.

We headed up the road and parked the vehicle in a position to slow down the speedy visitors. And we set out to uncharted rocks by us. Jack graced us with his presence almost immediatley. And we saw the occasional lizard, but not much else wildlife except the paw prints left behind. We scrambled over rocks, we crawled under rocks, and we squeezed through rocks. We, or mostly I, searched out cracks and areas for an arch I had not found before. I think we found one. There were many baby arches, but in order to be classified as an adult arch, you have to be three feet and most of the ones we found weren't there yet. We finally made it up one area, skirted around the back side, and then were looking for a way down into the valley. BF finally found what he thought would work just fine. Of course it was going to take some chimneying, but it was doable. Uh, CHIMNEYING? That is where there is a crack and you wedge yourself in there and go up or down. We used the back against one side and feet/knees against the other. Then just work your way down or up. Important information to know when you have a flashflood coming on you and you have to attempt to get above it.














After that we played it easy by following the wash and chasing after the fox prints. We once again came to a dead end. At that point, I was tired and hungry and ready to be finished with the hike. We went up and over the sand and came to another canyon area. And that is when we found the arch for my record. BF thinks it has never been found before which would mean I get to name it. But I believe it has. The photo is a joke for those who have ever been to Arches National Park.


BF went home after lunch and I went back to work cleaning the cache after our flood. I called BF at 3PM and asked if he had the boats loaded. He laughed and said no. Of course when I made the telephone call, I knew he didn't. We were heading up the river to drop in the boats for a short daily trip of paddling. And this is where Jenna got to have some fun. We paddled lazily down the river looking at nothing and the herons.

We were going to make one stop to check out a old mining rock house. It was a short stop as the storm was thundering and lightning. Once we got back in the boat and started down, Jenna decided she was done being in the boat and jumped out. BF put her back in, but within minutes she was out again. We decided to let her swim. After a few minutes and one photo op, she decided being back in the boat was ok. We came around the bend and could see the river bridge. The head wind was so damn strong I was making zero progress and actually moving up stream. We finally made it to the launch ramp and were graced with a sand storm. Oh I love the desert. We loaded up my vehicle and shuttled back to BF's. As we were driving we saw this guy running along the road in sandals. If I had to put a description on him at first glance I would say skinhead. I said we are not picking that guy up. When we got back to BF's vehicle, there was a kid sitting by a bunch of rafting gear. I said on second thought we are. So BF picked him up and shuttled him to his vehicle. Rule of thumb...always carry your lifejacket on that road because any local will pick you up. And if you have the child, hold him or her out there because the pickup will be quicker.

Hope you are having a great summer.

More photos under: Jenna's life, Utah (Wildlife, Adventure Stuff, and Flora)

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