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Independence Monument

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Since I haven’t been able to get out hiking in couple of weeks (plus the temperature was only in the low 90’s, which is slightly cooler than it’s been the last few days), I decided to head out after work for an evening hike in the Colorado National Monument. It’s been a little while since the last time I was in Monument Canyon, so I hiked up that trail to Independence Monument and then explored the upper reaches of Wedding Canyon for a different view of Independence Monument before returning the way I had come. The parking lot at the trailhead was completely empty when I arrived and I would only pass one trail runner shortly before sunset. I had the entire canyon to myself for a few hours which was nice. Enjoy a few photos from the evening!

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Mount Tukuhnikivatz

La Sal Mountains Peak Bagging
Independence Day Weekend | Saturday – Monday, July 2-4, 2016

“All around the peaks of the Sierra La Sal lies the desert, a sea of burnt rock, arid tablelands, barren and desolate canyons. The canyon country is revealed from this magnificent height as on a map and I can image, if not read, the names on the land.” -Edward Abbey

This weekend Diane and I headed to the La Sal Mountains near Moab to spend the Fourth of July weekend hiking and camping. I had intended for this to be a peak-bagging trip, but unfortunately the stormy weather would only allow me to climb Mount Tukuhnikivatz this time. Even though I didn’t get to climb more mountains this trip, we did have a nice relaxing time at camp, did a little exploring in the Jeep and I was able to photograph some nice sunrises and sunsets, thanks to the weather.

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Maze Memorial Weekend III

The Doll House | Memorial Day Weekend
Thursday – Monday, May 26-30, 2016

While crowds of people were lined up to get into Arches National Park and Island in the Sky this holiday weekend, Diane and I were back in The Maze District of Canyonlands National Park where we would only see a couple other people the entire time. This is why Diane and I have kept coming back back here for the past three years over Memorial Day weekend. Make sure to check out our previous trip reports from 2014 and 2015. This year we invited our friends Marty and Dave along to spend a few days down in The Doll House and the Land of Standing Rocks. It has been a few years since I last visited this area and I was looking forward to getting back and actually spending a few nights in The Doll House.

Red Man of Timpie Valley

Sunday, May 22, 2016

While Diane and I were in Salt Lake City this weekend, we met up with Dave and Jared on Sunday morning so we could drive out and visit the Red Man of Timpie Valley pictograph. I had never driven west on I-80 before so it was interesting to see the southern end of the Great Salt Lake as we made our way to the trailhead. When we reached the trailhead and got our of our vehicles we were immediately swarmed by mosquitoes. They were everywhere! We tried to keep moving quickly in order to keep them off of us as we climbed up to the cave that contained the rock art, but it was pretty steep and we had to stop a couple of times to catch our breath. Luckily, once inside the cave the mosquitoes left us alone and we were able to enjoy the view until we left again.

Warrior Ridge in Nine Mile Canyon

Saturday, May 21, 2016

On our way to spend a long weekend in Salt Lake City so we could attend a concert on Sunday night (that was sadly cancelled), Diane and I met up with our friends Dennis and Alan to explore the rock art of Warrior Ridge in Nine Mile Canyon. I had contacted Dennis a few weeks earlier to see if he was interested in visiting Warrior Ridge and Alan was able to secure permission to cross the private property so we could get access to the ridge. We met up in Wellington on Saturday morning and then drove into Nine Mile Canyon to begin the hike. The drive from Grand Junction to Wellington had been very windy, but once we were in Nine Mile Canyon the wind didn’t seem to be quite as bad.