Dogs Allowed

I'm not a fan of organized campgrounds, but I had to get out of the house where we work and live. Somewhere close and dog friendly. Kodachrome State Park is only 45 minutes west of us and they allow dogs. Yay! I did feel a bit guilty when my dog made foot-prints on the Zen-like raked dirt that surrounded our campsite. And what a treat it was to take a HOT shower after mountain biking a single track through weird red rock formations on Panoramic trail. When the sun set, the towers and monoliths lit up as if they were on fire. Sometimes civilized camping is pure pleasure.

Beating the Heat in Escalante

Yep, it's hot in Escalante Utah. A couple of days ago, my husband Ricki drove my friend and I up Main Canyon 24 miles and dropped us, with mountain bikes, to find our way back home. The high altitude and the cloud cover made me wonder if I had brought enough clothes. Soon I was sweating by tackling the hill climbs and distracted by antelope running through open meadows. We pedaled and pedaled and finally had lunch at Cyclone Lake and marveled at the sheer coolness in the air. One more climb and it was all downhill, past Posey Lake and into the furnace of Escalante. Five hours later and maybe 30 miles behind us, we reveled in how we beat the heat in Escalante.

Weather or Not

Escalante's weather has been/is nice and cool. The grey low clouds are lingering over and the sun hasn't peeked out once this morning.
It was a treat to ride my mountain bike down a gravel road through the Firs and Aspens while being sprinkled from the light rain. Burnt, gnarly tree trunks reminded me of dark ghosts clinging to the transit present. What was amazing we were totally alone during our 4 hour bike, hike, and 4-wheel drive wilderness adventure. I understand how a Floridian couple was blown away from sight-seeing all day in this beautiful area because they saw "no one."
The hike we found is called Stump Springs. It winds under a coral color cliff and clings to a ridge overlooking the Blues. Only a horse rider had been there before us. An avalanche or flood had cut through the spring and we bush-whacked our way around the debris. The vista were panoramic, albeit smoky from local controlled burns on Boulder Mountain. Biking seven miles to Stump Springs trailhead would be uphill an uphill grunt but with a screaming downhill to Highway 12.
My Pioneer spirit was happy yesterday exploring fresh territory and mapping out our next outing in Dixie National Forest.
I'm off for a trail run, probably on an illegal ATV road, with my dog, a Jack Russell terrier.
The sunset last night reminded me of whipped egg whites with a little pink coloring added.

Life is grand.