Retirement Diaries 2024: Garden Time

I can’t believe it is already mid-May!  The sun is out, the temps are getting into the high 60s, and it’s gardening time! 

I have been working out in the yard and garden, clearing up the fallen sticks from the oak trees, clearing away the dead leaves and pulling the lush grass from the beds.  Things are green!  The trees are budding out and the lilacs will be blooming soon.  It’s beautiful! 

I also started my garden with some frost tolerant crops.  Last weekend I planted radishes, beets, turnips and snow peas in the ground.  Nothing has sprouted yet, but I’m sure it is just a matter of days!  I also put up the mini greenhouse in the house, and have a lot starting in it!  Cabbage, bell pepper, cantaloupe, and green and colored bush beans.  I have six tomato plants that were already started, and am starting ten more from seeds (I have never started tomatoes from seeds, so we will see how that goes).  The cabbage sprouts are going crazy, the tomato plants are growing, and I even have one lonely cantaloupe start.  I’m sure its friends will be arriving soon. 

I marked everything on a calendar, with planting dates, and expected date of harvest.  There will be more going in the ground in the next week or two as well!  The big experiment begins! 

I also started volunteering for our town’s library, and the library book sale begins today.  It has been a flurry of activity getting ready, moving all the donated books up from the basement of City Hall, and arranging them all on tables.  It helps to be a big reader, so I can help figure out which genres the books belong in.  Hopefully we get lots of sales for funding library activities! 

I went for a hike at a new-to-me park last week.  Crow Wing State Park is right at the confluence of the Crow Wing and Mississippi Rivers, and is the site of a Native American village, and later a white settlement.  There isn’t much left now, but signs explain where things were, and there is an old cemetery.  It is fun to imagine what a tough life it would have been to live here hundreds of years ago. 

Yellow and Cora both had a vet appointment on Tuesday.  Yellow was getting his kidney bloodwork to check how he’s doing and Cora had a vaccine she needed in case I need to board her later in the spring for a few trips mom and I are going on.  Yellow is doing well!  His kidney values are just slightly outside of the normal range, but much better than they were 6 months ago.  It is such a relief!  He’s responding well to his fluids and he’s happy.  Cora’s vaccine had her feeling under the weather until this morning (she even slept through a couple of meals, which is unlike her!), but she seems to be back to normal today. 

It’s been a busy spring so far, but I’m having lots of fun!  I can’t wait to see the results of my handiwork!

 

Salem Weekend: Silver Falls State Park

Sunday, September 1, 2019, Silver Falls State Park, Silverton, Oregon

On my weekend trip to Oregon in 2019, I took the day to go to Silver Falls State Park, and hike the Canyon Trail, also know as the Trail of 10 Falls.  This park is such a gem in the Oregon Parks System!

The park was once the site of Silver Falls City, which was located at the top of South Falls.  The community was largely a logging community, but after the land was cleared of timber, a local entrepreneur sold admissions to the falls area and hosted events where cars were pushed over the falls, and a daredevil even rode over the largest falls in a canoe in 1928.  His name was “Daredevil Al” Faussett, and yes, he survived the 177 foot drop.  That has all been cleaned up now.

In 1926, there was a campaign to give Silver Falls National Park status, but it was not approved, due to all the ugly stumps and mess left from its logging days, not to mention the carcasses of cars that were no doubt left at the base of the falls.  Instead, in 1935, Present Roosevelt named it a Recreational Demonstration Area, and the Civilian Conservation Corps moved in to build facilities, clean up debris, build trails and widen some of the trails behind the waterfalls.  Yes, the trails behind the waterfalls already existed, because the area was formed with basalt over sandstone, and the softer sandstone eroded over time, both to create the canyon, and to erode the narrow pathways behind some of the falls.

When you hike the Canyon Trail, you will pass 10 different waterfalls; you can walk behind some of the waterfalls for a stunning view!  On the 7 mile hike, you pass South Falls, Lower South Falls, Lower North Falls, Double Falls, Drake Falls, Middle North Falls, Winter Falls, Twin Falls, North Falls and Upper North Falls.  Winter Falls is at the end of a half mile spur trail off the main trail and Double Falls is on a 0.1 mile spur trail.  When I was there in early September, it was pretty dry from the summer weather; I would love to go back in the spring when the waterfalls are at their peak flow!

I was there on a Sunday, on Labor Day weekend, and the park was packed.  Next time I would go on a weekday if I could, and I would definitely camp in the campground there. I think that would be so much fun!

Unfortunately, I can’t tell you which waterfall is in which photo, but enjoy!

Lassen Volcanic National Park Getaway

Sunday, July 14, 2019 to Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Lassen Volcanic National Park, Shingletown, California

During the summer of 2019 I headed back down to California to go to Lassen Volcanic National Park.  It had been on my bucket list for a while, but I was able to score a reservation at one of the cabins in the Manzanita Campground in the park.  A trip was born!

We headed to Lassen on Sunday morning, from Weed, California; the drive was a little less than 2 hours and the weather was beautiful!  Once we were in the park, we checked out the Loomis Museum at the north end of the park.  The museum has exhibits on the types of volcanoes in the park, the eruption in 1915, and the animals in the park.  It was a relaxed afternoon, just checking things out.  The kids got Junior Ranger booklets to fill out to get their Junior Ranger badges.

Lassen Peak

We checked in to the Manzanita Campground, the park’s largest campground.  The first night, we had a tent site.  The sites are large and open, you can see all your neighbors, and tents and RVs are largely mixed together.  It is a great campground; it was warm during the day, but it did get cold at night.  Maybe best of all, the bugs weren’t bothersome!  We checked out Manzanita Lake; one day it would be fun to canoe or stand-up-paddleboard on the lake.  The lake is right on the edge of the campground.

The campground also has a general store, with souvenirs, grocery items, ice cream and even beer and wine.  I got a t-shirt, an enamel mug and a bottle of wine to share.  The wine is long gone, but I still have the shirt and the mug!  That evening we made steak and corn on the cob over the fire, and had smores too!  It was a wonderful, peaceful evening around the fire, chatting and watching the crackling fire.

Saturday morning dawned sunny and bright, and we made breakfast on the camp stove.  We didn’t want to dawdle, so there would be plenty of time for exploring!

We decided to start at the south end of the park and work our way back up to the north end, where the campground is located.  We started at the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center and checked out the exhibits, and of course I got my Passport stamp!

We checked out the thermal features and walked part of the boardwalk.  Unfortunately, the boardwalk that goes to Bumpass Hell (yes, that is actually the name) was closed for trail rehabilitation when we were there.  I will have to go back to see it!  There are mudpots, where boiling mud bubbles and lets off steam.  It isn’t as spectacular as the geysers of Yellowstone National Park, but it is still a cool natural feature to check out!

Lassen Boardwalk

Lassen Mudpots

Me Lassen National Park

I loved all the Bristlecone pine trees that were growing in the area, and we stopped at a couple of overlooks and trailheads to check out the views and the landscape.

Lassen Volcanic National Park

We wanted to do a hike, but not one that was too difficult, so we hiked the King’s Creek Trail.  This trail is 2.3 miles round trip, although you can connect with other trails for a much longer hike.  Although the hike starts at approximately 7,300 feet in elevation, the trail itself has about 700 feet of elevation change over the course of the trail.  This is one that starts by going down, so you have to go back up a little at the end!  All that said, it is a beautiful hike, through grassy meadows with a creek crossing over a log bridge.

King’s Creek

King’s Creek Meadow

Lassen NP

The trail takes you down a hill, and the waterfall is right next to the trail, giving you nice views of the cascade.  It’s beautiful!

King’s Creek Falls

That evening, we had a reservation for a one bedroom camping cabin.  The bedroom had two twin bunk beds, and the outer room had a queen futon.  So the cabin could sleep six!  There was also a table and two chairs, a heater/AC unit and a lantern.  It was a nice setup! 

That evening we had another nice meal over the campfire, and enjoyed sitting around the fire talking and drinking wine.  It was peaceful, and quieter in the cabin section of the campground.

Lassen Cabin

 

Lassen Chipmunk

The last morning that we were there we went to an interpretive talk about the pioneers who traveled through what is now the park to reach the lush farmland in Western California.  The rangers spoke about the pioneers methods of transportation, how to cook over a fire, and what it was like to travel so many miles in a covered wagon.  The kids finished their booklets and earned their Junior Ranger badges. 

We did a little more hiking, and checked out the huge rocks near the trail.  It was a wonderful end to a nice trip.  One day I’ll make it back to Lassen to check out more of the park.

 

 

 

 

Lassen Volcanic NP History

Lassen Volcanic National Park is located in northern California, and its mountains are part of the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest.  This park is unique in that it is one of the few places in the world where visitors can see all four types of volcanoes; Composite Volcanoes, Lava Domes, Cinder Cones and Shield Volcanoes.  Lassen Peak, the mountain for which the park is named, is the largest plug dome volcano in the world (plug domes are a type of lava dome).  The park also contains thermal features similar to those made famous by Yellowstone National Park, including mudpots and fumaroles.

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Human habitation in the area began thousands of years ago, and four tribes lived and traveled in areas of the park.  The Atsugewi, Yana, Yahi and Mountain Maidu all made use of park areas seasonally for hunting and gathering.  They continue to use these areas today to preserve traditions and celebrate their history.  White settlers first entered the area in the 1830s, and Peter Lassen, a Danish blacksmith, settled in the area.  The Nobles Emigrant Trail then was established through the park area, leading settlers to the Sacramento Valley further west.

Lassen’s claim to fame is that it is one of the few volcanoes in the United States to have erupted in recent history.  Lassen Peak began erupting in 1914, and continued off and on with eruptions both large and small until 1921. Thankfully, monitoring of the volcano had already begun and people living in the area had a warning prior to the eruption.  No one was injured or killed, although some homes and buildings were destroyed.  Prior to that, the most recent eruption in the park was the Cinder Cone, which erupted between 1630 and 1670 (mostly likely 1666, according to tree ring analysis).  The area had been designated as a Forest Preserve in the late 1800s, and then Lassen Peak and Cinder Cone were designated as two separate National Monuments in 1907.  The eruption led to the park’s designation as a National Park on August 9, 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson.

Today the park has a lot to see and do; visitors can hike, snowshoe and ski in the winter, camp, and see wildlife.  There are hiking trails up the mountains, in the wilderness, past waterfalls, and boardwalks built around the thermal features.  Manzanita Lake in the northern section of the park has a large campground, a museum and a store.  The southern section of the park has a fairly new Visitor’s Center.  Sadly, some areas of the park were significantly damaged by a fire in 2021, but many sections of the park have reopened since that time.

I spent three days and two nights camping there in 2019; one night in a tent and one in a camping cabin.  I had a great time, and will tell you about my visit next!

Lassen NP

 

Siskiyou County California Hiking (part 2)

Root Creek Trail – Castle Crag’s State Park
November 10, 2018

Castle Crags State Park is a gem that I would like to visit again.  There is a campground and hiking trails, along with views of the Sacramento River.  The Castle Crags themselves are 6000 foot tall granite spires that are over 170 million years old!  The way that they jut out is pretty incredible to see.  There is a short quarter-mile trail leading to Vista Point, and spectacular views of the Castle Crags and Mount Shasta. 

From Vista Point we also hiked the 3.1 mile long out and back Root Creek Trail.  It is an easy trail with a view of Root Creek at the end, and some old mining or logging equipment that was left behind.

Sadly, in 1853, a rumor got started that the Castle Crags area had a successful gold mine.  So many hopeful prospectors clogged up the area and littered the Sacramento River with their debris.  Unfortunately this led to a failure of the fall salmon run the next year, and the Okwanuchu Shasta, Wintu, Achumawi and Modoc people who lived in the area were starved to death by the hundreds that winter.  This led several Modocs to steal flour from the white settlers, and the conflict escalated into the Battle of the Crags in 1855.  Modoc Chief Dorcas Della was killed.  All that bloodshed, and the gold miners left shortly after, because they didn’t find any gold.

Living Memorial Sculpture Garden, Siskiyou County, CA
November 24, 2018

This sculpture garden is located near Weed, California.  It was created in 1988 by a group of veterans, and is maintained with an agreement with the USDA Forest Service.  It honors veterans from all wars with a memorial wall, a Hot LZ wall and sculpture garden.  If you don’t know the terminology, Hot LZ stands for Hot Landing Zone.  However, the wall honors all veterans, not just pilots, and new names are added twice a year.  The garden contains about a dozen sculptures by Dennis Smith, a Marine Corps Sergeant during the Vietnam War.  It is peaceful to walk among the sculptures while you reflect upon the sacrifices made by these courageous men and women.

There is also a beautiful view of Mount Shasta at the Living Memorial.  Of course, there aren’t a lot of places in Siskiyou County where there isn’t a stunning view of the mountain.

 

Pluto’s Cave, Klamath National Forest, Siskiyou County, CA
November 24, 2018

Pluto’s Cave is a partially collapsed lava tube in Siskiyou County north of Weed, California.  The lava flowed from a vent about 8 miles northeast of the cave about 190,000 years ago.  This makes Pluto’s Cave a really old lava tube, as most of them don’t last this long, geologically speaking.  The semi-arid climate of northern California slows erosion.  Pluto’s Cave has a large diameter for a lava tube also, larger than many of the caves on the Hawaiian islands. 

It is a 0.3 mile hike from the parking lot, although honestly it didn’t feel that long.  Once there, explorers can venture about 1200 feet into the cave.  We went in late November, over the Thanksgiving Day weekend, and it was still warm enough that I had to shed some layers!  It was neat to be able to see the evidence of the lava flow, and explore the lava rock in the cave.  This hike was definitely a hit with the kids and the short hike and the size of the cave meant that it didn’t take too much time to visit and see the cave. 

 

Siskiyou County California Hiking

In November and December 2018 I spent some time in Weed, California, and had an opportunity to sightsee in Siskiyou County.  There are certainly some gems here and I would like to see more!  Most of these hikes were with kids, or we were limited on time because the kids were in school, so they were easy enough to do with little ones.

Lake Siskiyou Trail – 6.8 miles
October 18, 2018

The Lake Siskiyou Trail is a flat, easy trail that goes around Lake Siskiyou, a reservoir near the city of Mount Shasta.  You can do the entire trip around the lake for 6.8 miles, or you can do an out and back as far as you want.  The day I was there, we went a couple of miles on the trail, seeing a variety of easy terrain and the Wagon Creek Bridge.  I saw a Great Egret and got some nice photos of him (or her)!  The weather was beautiful, I was wearing shorts on a mid-October day!  If you want to hike here, keep in mind that the bridges over a couple of creeks are removed in the winter, so you can’t walk around the whole lake in winter.

Bonus: Near Lake Siskiyou is the Berryvale Post Office, a historic building that housed the Post Office from 1870 – 1887.  When I visited 5 years ago, they were in the process of restoration; maybe now the restoration is finished.

Hedge Creek Falls, Dunsmuir CA – 1 mile
October 20, 2018

This waterfall just outside of the city of Dunsmuir, California can be seen with a short out and back hike.  The trail has a couple of switchbacks down the hill through the woods.  It is a half mile to the waterfall, which can vary significantly in water flow depending on the time of the year.  I was there in mid-October, and there wasn’t a lot of water flowing.  It is fun to be able to walk behind the waterfall though!  You can also continue your hike a little ways more to get a peek-a-boo view of the Sacramento River, which Hedge Creek flows into.

Fun fact!  On October 25, 1879, Charles Bolton, better known by his outlaw name of Black Bolt, robbed the stagecoach traveling between Roseburg, Oregon and Redding, California.  He is known to have holed up behind Hedge Creek Falls before the robbery.

Dunsmuir is also a cute historic town with several historic buildings dating to the late 1800s.  I didn’t get to spend any time there (because reasons), but I would love to check it out more.

Spring Hill Trail
November 1, 2018

The Spring Hill Trail is a 2.6 round trip mile hike up Spring Hill.  There are switchbacks, and peek a boo views of Mount Shasta on the trail, but you are greeted with a beautiful view of the mountain from the top!  I hiked this trail as I was getting over a bad cold, so it felt a little difficult at the time.  It is an out and back trail, so what you go up you then get to go down!  It was certainly a fun hike!

The city of Mount Shasta is a cute little town with several historic buildings and a thriving downtown with shops and restaurants.  It was a fun little town to check out; I would love to go back and see more.

 

 

 

Circus Trip 2018: Yosemite NP

Day 90, Saturday, October 13, 2018
Yosemite National Park, Mariposa, California

I’ll say right up front that I need to see more of Yosemite.  My visit was too short, and too emotional to really do justice to it.

That morning I woke up in Bridgeport, California at my campsite at the little marina there.  It was cold (about 17 degrees or so), so I decided to get breakfast out, and went to the Bridgeport Inn for corned beef hash and coffee.  I’m not ordinarily a coffee drinker but I needed a warmup that day!  The Inn was built in 1877 as the Leavitt House, and has a hotel, restaurant and bar.  Mark Twain stayed here at some point.  The food was good, and warmed me up, but soon it was time to get on my way.

I headed west over Tioga Pass and soon was in the line to enter Yosemite Park.  I was so excited to see it!  This is one of the National Parks that has been on my bucket list for a while.

Sadly, when I headed into the park, I started to feel a heavy weight in my heart.  I had long wanted to visit Yosemite, but it had been a dream I had with my ex-husband when we were married.  In fact, when we separated, we had a trip planned to Yosemite, and I ended up canceling.  He went with his dad, and I didn’t go, because we were having so many problems.  We ended our marriage shortly after that.  I always thought it would feel amazing to finally visit, but it was quite the opposite.  It was like all the grief I had been holding in for a few years at that point finally came tumbling out.

I parked at a lake on the pass and sat next to the beautiful water.  People were all around, but no one really noticed me.  I sobbed.  I thought maybe once I had it out of my system, I could go on, but I kept starting to cry again after that first time.  I finally decided I wasn’t ready for Yosemite that day.  I didn’t go into the valley, or do much more than just drive through the park, sitting in my sadness.

I did get a stamp and a few postcards to commemorate the parts of the park that I did see, but I definitely need a do over.  It has now been almost 7 years since my divorce was final, which will be longer than I was married.  I think I’m ready now.

So after leaving Yosemite that day, I headed up to northern California to see the man I was dating at the time.  That relationship didn’t work out either, but for reasons unrelated to Yosemite.  That’s a long, sad story for another time, if I’m ever ready to tell it. 

I suppose I could call this day the last day of my big road trip, even though I spent close to a month in Northern California before I finally headed home to Washington.  But I wasn’t traveling all the time anymore, so it seemed the trip was at an end.  I saw parts of Northern California that I had never been to, but I also just relaxed.

All in all, I spent several months on the road that summer and fall.  If you remember back, I left home on July 16, and got back home on November 12, 2018.  It was the trip of a lifetime, and one that I would love to do again with a different itinerary.  It was exhilarating and fun, and sometimes sad and lonely.  I learned so much about bravery and courage, and feeling comfortable in my own skin.  I healed, and learned how to be alone.  It was everything I needed at the time. 

Now, 5 years later, I’m at at different place.  I’m retired, with the ability to pack up and take a trip when the mood strikes me.  And I do.  Life isn’t perfect, and I still have stories of sadness and hardship that I’m not quite ready to tell.  But life for the most part is good.  I have other tales to tell, and other road trips to take, and memories to make.  I hope you will continue to follow along.

 

Circus Trip 2018: Death Valley National Park

Day 87 & 88, Wednesday & Thursday, October 10 & 11, 2018
Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, California

I arrived at Death Valley National Park in the evening, and got a campsite at the Oasis Resort Campground.  Now, you should know that the Oasis Resort looked like an actual resort, with nice lodging and green, watered grass and a golf course.  The campground was, let’s just say, not an oasis.  It was basically a gravel parking lot, with a bizarre unisex portable bathroom (it wasn’t actually designed to be unisex, and rather was just a regular portable bathroom building that they let anyone into – UGH).  I hope they have fixed that bathroom issue by now, but that’s a story for another time.  However, for $15 a night the campground had one perk that was amazing!  The spring fed pool for the resort, with entrance included with your campground stay.  That pool was amazing!

I soaked for several hours that night in that pool.  It was a warm night, the water was warm and the dark skies made for an incredible view of the stars.  I just floated, watched the stars, and listened to the conversations going on around me.  It was one of the most incredible nights of my trip, just watching the stars from that warm swimming pool, and I would go back there just for that pool! Pictures won’t do it justice.

The next morning, I got up and wandered around the Oasis area of the park.  I had breakfast at the cafe, which seemed more like a cafeteria – the food was fine but nothing spectacular.  I checked out the equipment outside of the Borax Museum, but didn’t get to go inside because it didn’t open until 10 am.  One day I’ll get back there.  Then I went to the Visitor’s Center at Furnace Creek, got my passport stamp and postcards and headed out into the day.  I didn’t spend too much time there, as I wanted to do my sightseeing before it got too hot.

Badwater Basin

Badwater Basin is the lowest point in the United States, at 282 feet below sea level.  I walked out to the salt flats, and marveled at the fact that the walk was longer than it looked.  Keep that in mind if you walk out there on a hot day.  The salt dries into a honeycomb pattern, and it looks really neat, so I occupied myself with plenty of photos.  I was surprised that there were birds flitting about the saltwater pond.

Artist’s Palette Scenic Drive

The Artist’s Palette scenic drive was pretty, but it hadn’t rained recently when I visited, so the colors weren’t popping the way they do when the ground is wet.  Iron oxide and chlorites give the layers their bright colors.  I got out at the viewpoints and took photos and appreciated the scenery.  It was surprisingly not very busy, but they do say that sunrise and sunset offer the best times to view the colors here.

Zabriskie Point

The Zabriskie Point viewpoint was a bit more crowded with people checking out the surreal layered landscape.  It was named for Christian Zabriskie, one of the prominent men in the Pacific Coast Borax Company.  The largest peak of the landscape here is Manly Beacon, named for one of the gold rush prospectors who came through the area during the California Gold Rush; it rises 823 feet from the canyon floor.  You will probably recognize this view, parts of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi were filmed here.  This is one of the best spots for sunset in the park if you go.

I drove back to the Visitor’s Center as I was passing by and checked out the park movie.  It was interesting, as it showed the perspective of the Native Americans who had traveled and lived here historically.

Harmony Borax Works

Then I headed to see an old borax mining operation – fascinating!  The Harmony Borax Works was started in late 1883, and at its peak employed about 40 mostly Chinese workers.  It was a difficult operation, requiring extracting the sodium borate from the ore.  The ore was dumped into boiling water vats and carbonated soda was added, which made the borax dissolve and the lime and mud settle out.  Then the dissolved borax was moved into cooling vats, where it resolidified and crystallized on rods.  The finished borax was hauled by mule teams on a 165 mile, 10 day trip to Mojave, California.

On the 0.4 mile hike around the borax works, there was an old building where borax was extracted, old mining equipment, and a 20-mule team wagon.  That was so cool to see!  My mom has a Borax 20-mule team wagon model that my parents got before I was born.  It used to sit on my dad’s workbench when I was growing up, and I love looking at it.  It was neat to finally see the place where this model got its start.  I’ll have to get her to dig it out, so it can be displayed once more!

Sand Dunes

The last place I visited that day was the sand dunes.  The signs advertised that sidewinder rattlesnakes live here, but sadly I didn’t see any!  They do burrow underground to escape the hottest temperatures, and are often nocturnal to avoid the daytime heat.  I was fascinated by the fact that this park has so many different ecosystems within its boundaries.

Death Valley was an interesting place.  It doesn’t rank near the top of my favorite National Parks, due to its desolation and heat, but there are still places here that I would like to return to see.  I had to get on my way, and check out Eastern California!

Circus Trip 2018: Valley of Fire State Park

Day 87, Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Valley of Fire State Park, Overton, Nevada

On October 10, 2018, I was in four different states!  I woke up near Zion National Park in Nevada, crossed into Arizona for a hot minute, saw Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, and then ended my day in California!  What a whirlwind!  I headed out from my campground about 8:30 after packing up my tent and taking a shower.  My destination that day was Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada.  I got there a little after 9 am, thanks to gaining an hour in a time zone change.

 

Once I arrived, I did the Elephant Rock hike.  It is 1.2 miles through some really cool rock formations, and it was surprisingly empty, I only passed a few other people on the entire hike.  The feature here is obviously Elephant Rock, which I found to be difficult to identify unless you were standing at the perfect angle.  Not all of them can be easy I guess.  Luckily there was a sign! Hint: The first photo below is NOT it!

I drove through parts of the park, checking out the viewpoints along the way.  I saw petrified logs, and a Memorial to a man who died while traveling through the area.  Sergeant John J. Clark was born in 1844 and enlisted in the NY Infantry and served in the U.S. Civil War until he was shot in the hand and contracted typhoid fever.  After he was honorably discharged he moved to Southern California.  In 1915, he was traveling from California to Salt Lake City with a horse and a buckboard wagon, when he apparently got into trouble.  He tied his horse to the back of the wagon, wandered around, then crawled underneath his wagon where he died.  His body was found several days later on June 30, 1915.  It was a reminder to always be prepared for the harsh conditions of the desert.

The cabins were stone buildings built for tourists in the 1930s; there were approximately 9000 tourists annually at that time!  They are neat stone buildings, and there is a beautiful petroglyph panel on the stone face behind the cabins.

Next I went to the Visitor’s Center.  I checked out the exhibits, got some postcards, and planned where I was headed next.  They had a few native snakes and a chuckwalla in their exhibit there; they were neat to see, especially since I didn’t see any while I was out hiking.  Outside, there is a Balanced Rock, so of course I snagged a photo with it.  And guess who I ran into on the way out!?  Carol!  If you remember, I met Carol at Mesa Verde National Park, and spent an evening chatting with her when we both camped at Hovenweep!  Now we met up again purely by accident! 

We decided to go for a hike together, so we drove out the White Dome Road to the Fire Wave trailhead.  The Fire Wave hike was incredible – the colors were amazing!  The hike went out and back to a rock formation with sedimentary layers that looks like of like an ocean wave.  It is only 1.3 miles, so it is a popular hike, but for good reason!  Carol and I enjoyed ourselves chatting and taking pictures of each other.  It was a fun hike!  On the way back we were greeted by a herd of Bighorn Sheep too – I got some good pictures of them. 

 

When we got back from the hike, Carol and I said our goodbyes for a third time, and went our respective ways.  It is always fun to meet new friends when traveling! 

My time in Valley of Fire was far too short – one day I’ll return and do more of the hikes in the park.  It was a really cool place!  But I was heading to Death Valley National Park in California, so it was time to get on my way!

 

Circus Trip 2018: Zion Hike

Day 86, Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah

After my visit to Cedar Breaks National Monument, I continued on my drive to Zion National Park.  On the way there, I saw a field with bison!  Of course, I pulled over for pictures. 

I have been to Zion once before, so if you want to read those posts, you can find them here: history of the park, Angel’s Landing and other places in the park.

But this time, I was going to spend a bit of time in a different section of the park!  I arrived in the park this time through the east entrance, which is famous for the road that travels through the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel.  More on the tunnel later in the post.

Shortly after I arrived in the park, I saw Bighorn Sheep – and there were even some mamas and babies!  So I had to pull off to get some photos! 

After I got my fill of the Bighorn Sheep, I continued to my first destination; I was going to hike the Canyon Overlook Trail.  This trail is shortly before the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel and it can be very busy, so pack your patience while driving on this road and looking for a parking spot, as it will be slow going (be sure to only park on paved pullouts or you will be cited).  I ended up having to walk a bit to get to the trailhead; just be careful with the traffic!

The Canyon Overlook Trail is only a half mile long (one mile round trip out and back trail), but what it lacks in length it makes up for in stunning views.  The trail has some switchbacks and is uphill on the way to the overlook, with a few sections that take you underneath a rock overhang.  You also get a different view of the Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel, and see what an amazing engineering marvel it was to tunnel underneath all that rock.  If you have a chance to hike this trail, don’t miss it! 

I relaxed at the top and enjoyed watching the chipmunks skittering about.  It was a warm, sunny day and it was perfect for a hike! 

After my hike, I drove through the tunnel; that was an experience!  The tunnel was started in the late 1920s and finished in 1930 – it is 1.1 miles long!  When I was there, they were only allowing one direction of traffic at a time, and there are significant size restrictions, so you do have to wait in line to get through the tunnel, but it didn’t take too long.  If you have a larger vehicle, be sure to check the park’s website for restrictions and information about buying a permit.  It’s a long, dark tunnel! 

Of course, before I left, I went to the Visitor’s Center and got my parks passport stamped and I got some postcards.  No visit is complete without that!

It was a quick trip, but such a fun afternoon!