Stardate 2018.858

Fall 2018 Is Going Strong

Doing a blog post a week didn't get far, did it? Oh well, I blame it on Parkinson's. However, in all fairness to my new disease, I've had a busy fall as well. Snowcatcher and I spent two weeks in travel to California and back. Both of us have been very busy at work. Instead of blogging, I've been watching old original series Star Trek episodes, et cetera, et cetera.

I've been doing lots of work overtime too, which needs to stop because it enhances Parkinson's irritation. I've now experienced two types of fatigue; the good fatigue, such as doing a 120-mile bike ride and being dog-tired, yet feeling good about it. Then the second type of fatigue is being dog-tired for no good reason and wanting only to curl up with depression and sleep for hours on end, feeling good about nothing.

Nonetheless, my mountain biking skills are slowly getting better. However, I don't, at this point, expect them to be where they once were. Time will tell.

Anyway, following are a handful of pics taken this past September and October. I would have taken the mountain bike out today, but I'm not quite ready for temps in the 30s. At least the sun is out. The first photo is of Waterton Canyon resident bighorn sheep lounging around chewing their cud pre-rut season. Currently, they're busy chasing the girls. Enjoy the pics.




We all know this girl. If you require a hint, she's the S*********r.



I grew-up skiing at a small ski area in western Colorado called Powderhorn. Below rises its eastern lift. I miss those years of skiing a lot. Things were different then.




The middle section of the ski area is kind of rolling.




I love seeing kids start so early. You go girl!



Cedar City, Utah, is almost halfway between Denver, Colorado, and Bakersfield, California. The town is on our retirement short list. It lies at the base of Utah's Markagunt Plateau and north of the whopping 20-mile drop onto the northeastern Mojave Desert. Many, many, years ago I thought I'd landed a job in Cedar City as a hydrologist for the Forest Service; it didn't happen. I've also spent time here doing geomorphic field work with a buddy working on his PhD.



See you next time!

Adios

Stardate 2015.975

Mystic Sandstone

Our trip to California came to an end, and we began our journey back to Colorado. Our journey across the Mojave Desert was uneventful, and by evening we found ourselves back in Cedar City, Utah, and snow-covered slopes. We enjoyed our overnight in Cedar City (nice vibe to it) and had a short hop the next morning to my favorite (in the top 5) locale – Moab, Utah. Moab has some of the most magical landscapes on the planet; especially during the off-season when the town is dead quiet. Following are some pics of this fantasy land.


Cedar City bids farewell to another day.




Arches National Park prepares for a long, cold night.




A 10-minute sunset in Arches National Park enhances the senses. December sunsets are awesome!








We enjoyed the early morning along the Wallstreet climbing area, Potash Road, Utah.








The sandstone cliffs reflect off of the surface of a cold Colorado River.




Desert cathedrals catch the early morning light.




The Colorado River visits a labyrinth of sandstone canyons while on its journey to the sea.






That's it for now; I'm not sure what's up next. Thanks for reading!

Adios

Stardate 2015.937

California I

Hi all, gobble, gobble, gobble... I just returned from 10 days out west. Every other year or so, Snowcatcher and I try to visit her parents for Thanksgiving, as well as spend a day or two on the beach.

Thanksgiving Day found us leaving the Denver area on shear ice. As we proceeded higher into the mountains, conditions turned from ice to easier-to-pilot snow. From the Vail Ski Area to our first stop for family and food, dry conditions prevailed.

The next day, following an early morning communion with a mountain biking velociraptor in Fruita, Colorado, we found ourselves traversing central Utah in somewhat slick conditions again.





By the time we reached Cedar City, Utah, 8 inches of fresh snow had accumulated.







The storm was short-lived, and the 4,245-foot loss of elevation (over the course of 90 miles) down onto the Mojave Desert between Cedar City and Mesquite, Nevada, went quickly. Give or take 454 miles and 6.75 hours later, we found ourselves rolling into Bakersfield, California, at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, our primary destination. We managed to sneak away for two days to the coast. Starting at Morro Bay, we worked our way north to Cambria.




Stay tuned.

Adios