Dinosaur National Monument (DNM)

The Heat!

Escape was a mere 20 miles north. But there, the altitude of 8400+' soon had me barely able to get up. No WAY could I perform my galumphing "sprint" of 300 feet. (I really should be an advert for White Boots. Weighing in (each) somewhere around 5 pounds, they keep my legs in superb condition.)

Descending, the view is dominated by the red wall of Split Mountain. Looming behind its equally dramatic ramparts, it prompted a fierce attack of: MUST locate on GPS!

(Split Mountain vies with Dinosaur National Monument (DNM). More prosaic, we get: Split Mtn Lodge, Split Mtn Eatery, Split Mtn Hair & Nails.)

Safely sequestered with their generators...

It sat on the wire above the Green River, giving the hairy eyeball as I maneuvered forth and back.

 On the 2nd click it flew off 200 feet...and I, tail tucked in embarrassment, drove on. But you don't see cummerbunds like that every day!

Horoscope

Ms. Cook, ever mindful of potential influences, sent my horoscope. Along with it she posits that crocs are related to dragons.

Bob Brezsny, Free Will Astrology

I was born into the Chinese calendar as a Complex-and-Eccentric Dragon (December 24, 1952).
Having chanced upon this splendid specimen in a Michael's, as I completed the unwrapping she announced, "This is you!"  (And so it is.)



It adorns my rearview mirror.

Dinosaur Bones!

I camped in the desert about a mile from Fantasy Canyon. Trail-less areas interest me. It's been my experience you don't find the things on trails you do elsewhere.

Large for a coyote and the bones aren't even well-chewed. Cat?

Exploring the badlands, I found fossils even I could recognize as bones. But I have no clue as to what they might have been.

Close together, I moved them closer.

Attached at the upper right to a completely diff kind of rock.

The heat from 11:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

while creating space (in time) for sedentary

activities

makes it essential to be able to create shade.

And as the mosquitoes emerge (where in god's name do they breed out here?!!) Phoebe dons her Mombasa Double ($16.00 from REI...check it out!) veil.

Fantasy Canyon - Utah

She'd read about it somewhere. Now, after having seen her in action several times, I look forward to her discoveries.

I arrived just before sunset and the sun god, apparently feeling beneficent, emerged from behind the clouds.

Note reflections in hood. Monsoons!

Settee

Smug Observer (face at middle upper right)

And it goes on and on.

Several reviews mention the smallness. I suppose, relative to the wide-open spaces, it is small. But the comment about being able to blow through it in half an hour was, after being there, ludicrous. It's 33 miles to Vernal. Iffen yer gonna plan on seeing it in 30 minutes, youse might wanna consider turning on yer TV instead. Temps hoverin 'round hunnert-plus degrees mid-day. 

A Couple by Bach

I'm not a big fan of J.S. Bach, but Hans-Andre Stamm brings him to life.

Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565

Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor BWV 582

Twisted Windows at Folsom 2019

As part of the Folsom Street Fair, they'll perform at SOMarts (Incubating Creativity to Change the World) on September 27.

A link to a brief article about Saki Kamijoo, a featured performer.

Link to ticket info for September 27 event.

Saki Kamijoo in Mexico

Kalra (2007)

It's Always Something

Coming down from the north I had to pass through Mirror Lake Recreation Area. Renowned for its lakes, they charge a fee if you stop...anywhere.

It's also the summer home for many people and is camped to the hilt. Even atop the rockiest 4wd roads there're entire families with picnic tables, dhawgs and, no doubt, TV.

And with all the standing water come mosquitoes. And in places there're not only mosquitoes, but gnats.

So, I ate part of the chili and set the can on the seat for later.

Not watching as I was laying out the sleeping bag, it flopped over and tipped the can.

It can wait 'til morning.

Birch Creek Camp

As I came around the turn I could see the peninsula that extended out toward the canyon. I surmised there must be a road out onto it, but when I got there, there was none. I stopped to ponder and stretch muh drumstiks. Hit war then ah noticed the faint track -- more a lack of sage than anything -- leading out and away. I always walk 'em before driving.


It's disturbing to drive over flowers.

An it was a tight squeeze through the S-turn.

But justification is what we do best.

Diversity in Evanston, Wyoming

I had half a pound of bacon in the cooler and no ice. Two cans of smoked clams had been breakfast. It was time to go into town.

Culture is so varied; it's strangeness can be, if not fun, at least interesting.

Exiting the Evanston, Wyoming Walmart, a Tesla fastback glided acrosst the parking lot. At the perimeter, a tall, slender, Black woman with a beautifully round bottom, wearing a yellow headband with long, yellow, "tails" of shredded cloth, raised her arms in triumphant greeting to the 25 (or so) semi trucks parked together. Her enthusiasm brought to mind my sister; she too took pleasure (and pride) in pleasuring her clients.

At the light, a shiney, white Land Rover full of young girls (windows closed) went past and provoked puzzlement at having found (in Walmart) excellent organic blueberries grown in Oregon.

Diversity! If we could only learn to celebrate it.

East Of Eden

It was too lyrical to pass up.

I took the shortcut through the divide, dropped onto the east shore of Pineview Reservoir and descended into  Eden. I clambered onto 39 und headed east.

It's a long two hours (Phoebe's four cylinders can only manage about 30 mph on a long, steep slope, but the consistent 26 mpg always satisfies.) to the top and it's all private along the way. Garmin shows the National Forest starts a few miles east of Ogden but there's no access. What's even weirder is they somehow managed to privatize the turnouts -- yes, the "wide spots" -- as they're all posted and strung with cable to keep folks out. Many are occupied by trailers und/or 5th wheels.

But once on top there're (vernacular: there's) many roads into the forest. It's mostly aspen with lots of wildflowers but, what with global warming and all, it's HOT at 5:00 p.m. even at 8,660 feet. And the deer flies forced me to get out my netting-embellished hat. I was intrigued by how they disappeared once they realized they couldn't get at me. Makes yuh wonder (or maybe not if you watch TV) if they have a mischievous nature, like otters, that's yet to be discerned.

Coming down the east side I stopped at Birch Creek Reservoir where I got my exercise taking the steeper trail to the top of the dam. There, on the beach, I found a multi-tool basking.

I approached the lone fisherperson at the other end of the dam but she said she already had one. I pleaded, saying my rig is full. She took pity and claimed she'd gift her son-in-law.

On the way down there was this thistle...

Purple's been my fav ever since the hyacinths along the walk to 1st grade in Rolla, Missouri.

Mendon, Utah

The 5,000-pipe organ was going to be part of the Paris, Idaho Arts Festival.

We were fortunate (sort of...what with all the ATVs) to find a campspot outside Fish Haven, a few miles south of Paris. But when the time came, no one knew where the organ was so we came over the hill from Fish Haven to Mendon and took an AirBnb.

And to top it off, they had fireworks in our honor.

Today She & Her Capri go west and I.....?

Thwarting Senility

I took the cap off then decided against it. The next day, when it occurred to me to check, I wrung my hands and thought about how long it'd take to get another sent from one of the suppliers in Oregon or Texas. I practically fell on my knees when I heard its coquettish titterings; it had lodged amidst the starbo'rdside plumbings. I immediately whupped out muh hyper-tuff remote-control drill motor and applied a leash.

Greybull Thrift Shop

He had been transferred from a small town to Jackson, Wyoming where an efficiency apartment was $1,000.00 a month; his salary was $1,100.00 a month.

When one of the fellows admitted he couldn't cover his hand in the poker game, the Sheriff, who was also in the game, made him sign over his house. But even with that he couldn't afford to live there.

After selling the house for $45,000.00, he moved to a cheaper town, married and moved to Greybull. Now retired, he was filling in for his wife the day I came in. His story was much more interesting told first-hand, but I thought it might provide fair-warning for someone considering a move.

Ten Sleep to Shell

Danger lurks!

A good omen....

Cool camp among the cottonwoods.

Hot out there.

On to Hyattville!!

Mimosa Tree

Aunt Ree Ree was, in her youth, a fan dancer and masseuse. As a young child, I stayed with her several times while my mother flew somewhere to be with my dad. Ree had traveled in Hawai'i and Mexico and every now and then a young sailor would stop by and stay for a week or two.

She had a boardinghouse style two-story a few blocks from Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia. It had a long porch with a big mimosa in the front yard. On summer evenings we'd float candles on her fish pond and enjoy the aroma of the tree's blossoms.

In 1991, I co-signed the 2nd mortgage on my Mom's house so she could buy out the other half from the woman she'd bought the house with. Three days later my mom died (heart attack) and I inherited the house...and the mortgages. I'd recently been laid off from my job and the house needed some repairs. Over the next nine months, using the funds from my 401k, I got it ready for sale. As a final act, I planted several mimosas. Two weeks before foreclosure the house sold. The sale netted me about $1,500.00 and I had one tree I hadn't planted.

Along with Antoinette, the tortoise that lived in my Mom's backyard, and the mimosa, I moved through a series of apartments. Antoinette wintered in the backyard of the last one. She'd gone through a bout of pneumonia that Spring and I'd had to give her shots in her leg to save her. The illness reappeared just before she went into hibernation and as I dug her hole for her -- next to the foundation so I'd know where to watch for her in the Spring -- I wondered if I'd see her again. But one morning, returning from a meeting, I saw the ground opening up and watched her emerge. I kept the tree in a large pot at the top of the steps.

Later that Spring Ms. Cook invited me to join her in her bluecollar hovel. It was MUCH quieter (then) than the beautiful garret I occupied in an old, downtown three-story. The garret, nice as it was, was across the street from a transmission shop. All day long the sound of air guns zipping through jobs filled the air. I moved with much gratitude and relief.

By now the mimosa had been in its pot for over a year and hadn't fared too well. When I planted it in Michelle's back yard it was barely more than a stub. And planting it felt more like a funeral than anything. It's been in the shade of the elm and the two cottonwoods for nearly 30 years. It's not very big, but it's going strong; same as us.

Loo With a View

Aging knees present challenges. A lightweight, collapsible loo is an easy solution.

West

The Action

North

(Big Horn Mtns)

Love

Sati....apana




It might've been 2016 when I wandered in at Sir Branson's Spaceport America Visitor Center in T or C.

Sukhi was staffing that day and I made a couple of videos of her talking about things. There was a moment when she leaned close to look at the image on my camera that I've looked back upon as a possible missed opportunity; the moment was playful, and I pulled away in jest as if to keep her from seeing. She moved closer and as she leaned to see, her awareness of the "play" evoked a response that was open and enticing.

European born and raised, I wait for clear signals before making a move. But now, years later, I wonder if perhaps that was one of those times when I should've transcended my upbringing. Might I have been one of the recipients of her poem?

The Right To Die

What rights?


How about this one?

South of Tensleep

After gassing up in Shoshoni, we drove a few miles up CR-82 from Moneta. We had a beautiful camp and enjoyed the day lounging and watching the sun go over.

After a day of rest, we continued north. The countryside is beautiful and we had the road nearly to ourselves. But around three o'clock I hit a wall of tired. We'd struck pavement about 20 minutes earlier so I put the hammer down and once within cell service dialed up OnXmaps and found us some BLM....with a nice view no less.

After some spaghetti and rum-spiked Blockhouse smoothie (awful!) we enjoyed the freshening winds as a storm passed nearby....helping to cool the tempers.

She collapsed.

I heated water for a bird bath -- under the wings and behind the tail -- and a shave; I have yet to meet the woman who enjoys a brillo pad between her legs.