Itinerary...

Oh, some of you keep asking and I keep forgetting to mention this...

Plan A: I'll be in California from the 1st to the 10th of August (there's a big, fat Indian wedding planned) then will head up to Oregon, possibly making a couple of stops along the way to visit friends and family in Northern CA and maybe catch a play at the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. Would be back in PDX by Aug. 15th at the latest.

Plan B: Am considering cutting my trip a little short and possibly heading back to Portland after Zion (July 25). Will most likely do this if the foot doesn't improve...plus there's a guy, Xan, I'd like to get back home to (is that a collective cheer or a moan I hear?). Would then fly back to CA for the wedding (maybe Aug 4-10).

William Shepley

Spent part of the morning talking with a guy sitting at the computer next to me. I was uploading photos, he happened to glance over at my Arches photos and we got to talking about how great a place Utah is for photography. Turns out he's a geology major turned photographer; originally from CA, but now living in Hurricaine. I pulled up his website while we were chatting and got to hear some of the cool stories behind the photographs he's taken over the years.

Here's a link to his site - check out the cowboy gallery.
http://shepleyswest.com/

Call me a pervert

(Elephant Man?)

After rock-gazing for about a week in Arches and Capitol Reef National Parks, I am now a confirmed pervert. These places are littered with obscene rock formations depicting women with large breasts, lovers in awkward poses, rotund asses, the occasional deformed face, ohhhh, and all those spires! (Wish I'd had Mona and Ari along for a running commentary.) And I'm not the only pervert, I'll have you know. Had a hilarious, off-color conversation with an Australian couple who said they've gotten some great ideas on how to improve their sex life and are planning to put together a PowerPoint of their favorite shots/poses to show their friends back in Sydney. Hmmm...there's an idea for the first day of school: "mis vacaciones de verano".

Okay, enough of that. After leaving Arches, I decided I was too sun-drained and energy-leeched to continue on to Canyonlands as I had originally planned (Sean, if I'd gotten your text an hour earlier, I mighta changed my mind!) so I headed to shady Capitol Reef instead. It's perhaps not as striking or grand as some of the other NPs in Utah, but still lovely...and about 15 degrees cooler than Arches. Fruit orchards, clear skies, near-empty campground, friendly euro-tourists in tiny speedos, red rock to the horizon, desolate trails - couldn't have asked for more.

Spent a lot of time reading, writing and exploring. Only went on one semi-long hike to test how my foot and knee would hold up. First 5 miles were okay, but I felt every step of that long, last mile! Am worried that I may not be able to do some of the longer hikes I'd planned for Zion, but will take it easy for a few days and see what happens. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me!

Thanks Edward Abbey

(Delicate Arch)

"A weird, lovely, fantastic object of nature like Delicate Arch has the curious ability to remind us - like rock and sunlight and wind and wilderness - that out there is a different world, older and greater and deeper by far than ours, a world which surrounds and sustains the little world of men as sea and sky surround and sustain a ship. The shock of the real. For a little while we are again able to see, as the child sees, a world of marvels. For a few moments we discover that nothing can be taken for granted, for if this ring of stone is marvelous then all which shaped it is marvelous, and our journey here on earth, able to see and touch and hear in the midst of tangible and mysterious things-in-themselves, is the most strange and daring of all adventures." -EA

Edward Abbey spent two seasons working in Arches National Monument in the 1950s and nearly a decade later, wrote of his experiences in the Utah high desert. His book, Desert Solitaire, is one of the most honest, lyric, cynical, eye-opening nature novels I've ever read. Abbey was a surly poet, a reclusive philosopher, a passionate environmentalist, a damned good story teller. If you all haven't read him yet, buy this book today!

I started reading Desert Solitaire in New Mexico and finished it my first night camping in Arches (in my tent, by the light of my headlamp - yes I'm a bit of a dork). Was surprising to see so much of what I've been feeling during this trip reflected so eloquently yet so simply in a book published a decade before I was born. It made me see Arches through the eyes of a man truly in love with the land he fought to preserve. Though much of the park is scarred by the paved roads he detested and a long line of "air-conditioned wheelchairs" winds its way through the park, Arches, for me, still seems "the center of the world, God's navel, Abbey's country, the red wasteland."

Edward Abbey:
http://www.abbeyweb.net/

Juveria's Tour of Optimism

The last week has been a bit crazy. I left the Tetons last Sunday and headed to Salt Lake City in order to catch a flight to New Mexico for an IB conference (only portion of this trip where I HAD to be in a certain place at a certain time). That drive is about a 300 mile stretch, much of it along Hwy 89, a lonely 2-lane road that curves in and out of Idaho and Wyoming before hitting Utah. Anyhow, the short version of the story is that my car broke down in the middle of nowhere, I had to deal with a creepy guy that stopped to 'help', and eventually made it SLC with a car running at 40 mph max. I didn't have a chance to get the car fixed (Sunday in Utah, after all), so I left it parked at the airport and headed for the conference.

The workshop ended up being really helpful (I feel a little better about teaching IB this year, though I'm still bothered by the elitist nature of the 'programme'). While there, however, I sprained my ankle. Funny story. On the second night, around 10 PM, my new friend John and I decided to go to the hot springs nearby and on the walk back, went through a really muddy patch of swampy ground. While commenting that I had really bad night vision and wished that I had my headlamp, we came across another two small (but surprisingly deep) thermal pools and stopped to rinse off our sandals and feet. Preoccupied with telling a story, I stood up quickly, got a little dizzy, and stepped in the wrong direction, right into another pool (mind you, I had put all my clothes back on at this point and slipped my new cell phone into my back pocket). John, thinking I needed rescuing, jumped in to save me only to find that I was already on my feet, sputtering and laughing. Got out (on my own - don't need rescuing, thank you very much), made it back to the college just fine, but with a slight pain in my ankle. Woke up the next morning with a horribly swollen, painful ankle. They called an EMT who bandaged me up and gave me a pair of crutches to use (first time in 30 years to use crutches). The rest of the week, I had to listen to gimp jokes and was teased nonstop about the dangers of drunken visits to thermal pools (only had one beer, I'd like to add). John, if you're reading this, notice that I've left out all the embarassing parts!

Eventually made it back to SLC with a limp and a busted car to deal with. Yesterday, while waiting for my car to get fixed, I called Jeannie to fill her in on my misadventures. When I said I was hoping to make it to Moab by early afternoon before the campsites filled up and that I wanted to get in some hiking the same day, she sarcastically said, "So, this is your tour of optimism?" Haa haa, love it! Didn't make it to Moab and Arches National Park until late, but still lucked out and got a great campsite. Was even able to hobble up a nearby boulder to catch a beautiful tomato-sun setting in a cinnamon-sky. The ankle's still stiff and hurts if I walk more than half a mile, but should be back to normal in another day or so. No chance, you say? I'm sure it'll heal soon...call me optimistic.

"I'm goin' to Jackson, I'm gonna mess around" (extra credit if you know the reference)

(Teton Valley Rodeo)

Oops! I wrote this a few days ago and must have clicked "save" instead of "post"...

Spent some time in Jackson while visiting the Tetons. It's an interesting little town with more flyshops than churches, a few art galleries, a rodeo (I went on the 4th of July - how patriotic of me), some character and lots of bleached-blond men walking around without their shirts on. Two places (not so much the shirtless men) made the trip into town worth it: the National Museum of Wildlife Art and Images of Nature, Tom Mangelsen's photo gallery (thanks for the recommendations, Jeremy and Sean!).

The NMWA had an intriguing exhibit on aboriginal art and its connection to the spiritual-natural world. The most interesting works in the aboriginal art gallery are paintings of "the Dreaming", by indigenous Australians. The Dreaming, according to aborigines, is the process by which the natural world was created by their Ancestral Beings. As their ancestors traveled through the world, they created all living and non-living matter and once finished, eventually transformed themselves into stars, animals, trees, etc., thus becoming a part of their own creation. Australian aborigines believe that the Dreaming continues today since their ancestors-creators are still among them. They celebrate and participate in the Dreaming and their religious/cultural heritage through dance, song, story-telling and painting - a nice change from the preaching, proselytizing and war-making that characterize so many other religions.

Links, in case anybody's interested...
Images of Nature gallery: http://www.mangelsen.com/store/catalog?Args
The Dreaming: http://www.acn.net.au/articles/indigenous/dreamtime/
NMWF:
http://www.wildlifeart.org/

A recess from excess?

(Wildflowers with Tetons)

Sabine wrote something really beautiful in one of her comments "i wish you luck though on finding a few days of solitude, i think that would be the icing on the cake, something very different from what we are all used to, this constant buzz around us."

Have been trying to escape that 'constant buzz' and find some solitude in the buzzing of insects and the electrifying hum of nature at work. Unfortunately, the Tetons seem to be the mecca for motor boats, RVs with loud generators, sun burnt men in fast monster trucks (how emasculating it would be to drive the speed limit in a compact car!), and a busy highway full of people who believe they can 'experience' nature simply by stopping at one of the numerous scenic turnouts and lookouts that dot Fwy 89. Hard to wake up to these sounds every morning (especially as my neighbors have brought along with them a huge RV, a gaggle of kids with noisy toys, and what look like two HUGE generator powered stoves) but thankfully, it's fairly easy to escape once I step onto a trail that extends beyond 200 feet to the nearest postcard op.

The hiking here is great and the trails, for the most part, solitary. The altitude really gets me winded by about the 3rd mile (all those great Portland microbrews and my new beer belly might also have something to do with it), but am making a concerted effort to keep at it. Love that everything else fades away once you get a few miles into a forest or a thousand feet or so up a mountain. Life just seems simpler and all the rest inconsequential. Came across a herd of 11 mule deer (atleast, that's what this city girl thinks they were) grazing in a meadow while hiking yesterday morning. Found a small tree with a bit of shade, parked myself for an hour to observe and read (Neruda's "Odas elementales" and Machado's "Soledades"). Nice reward for waking up early and getting my lazy butt on a trail!

So long YNP

(Mormon Row with Tetons)

Spent yesterday fishing the Firehole River again - didn't catch anything but it was enough to stand on the banks of that beautiful river at dusk, watching fish rise out of the silver water as the sun set behind some large grey clouds and the steam from the Midway Geyser floated upstream. Had a late dinner and drinks in West Yellowstone with some folks from my campsite who were leaving that night and while heading back into the park very late, saw three foxes walking alongside the road from Madison Junction to Norris. Was a lovely drive through the park so late at night, a bit eerie with steam rising from distant geysers and springs and the howl of coyotes. Left Yellowstone this morning and headed to the Grand Tetons (tetons is French for breasts), about an hour and a half drive south of YNP. Feeling a little melancholy 'bout leaving YNP, but know that I'll be back soon.

The Tetons - a series of jagged, snow-capped peaks against a blue sky - seem to angrily rise up out of nowhere and dominate the western skyscape. Nestled among their foothills are a series of small lakes and ponds (home to trumpeter swans, which I'm hoping to see!) mostly accesible only by foot. Am looking forward to some nice, long hikes over the next few days. Am off to look for moose and hopefully catch a nice sunset on Jenny Lake...

Water water everywhere...

(Yellowstone River)

Hey, this 'fly fishing' post is for my fishing buddies back home. I've been keeping a fishing log which I'll share once I get back, in case any of you plan on fishing these areas in the future. We need to plan a trip out here next summer - I'm hooked!

So, Yellowstone had an amazing winter (one guy I talked to said he was out fishing here just one month ago and the snow was still coming down) and due to the melt, most of the rivers and creeks (pronounced 'cricks' - I've been corrected many times) are way blown out and unfishable. Had hoped to fish Slough and Soda Butte Creeks, as Steve recommended, but they're too high, fast and murky at the moment and will probably remain so until mid-July. The only two rivers most fly shops have recommended are the Gibbon and Firehole.

Fished the Gibbon near the Norris campsite a couple of times and caught some small trout (6" to 8") on a size 16 PMD. There are tons of folks fishing Gibbon Meadows and Elk Park and but most have said they haven't had much luck. Was a little disappointed by the fishing the first couple of days but all that changed yesterday. I ended up sitting next to a seasoned Yellowstone fisherman, Tom, at the lunch counter and he recommended fishing the Firehole downstreem from the Midway Gyser Basin parking lot. We ended up there at the same time later that day and spent about four hours fishing together, an hour of which he spent coaching me on my casting. Was good to have some help and company--and he gave me about 5 flies while we were out there. (I'm so amazed by how helpful and giving everyone here is!) Caught a 12" brown with a size 16 CDC caddis and had about 12 hits during the evening. The caddid hatch on this stretch of the river is AMAZING! There's a cloud of them along the bank of the river (most active between 7 and 8 pm) and you can hear and see the fish just slurping them up as soon as they touch the water. Very exciting! Am heading back this evening. Will try lake fishing tomorrow morning- Cascade and Grebe.

"Buff must come from buffalo...they're the most buff thing I've ever seen."

...comment made by Heddi, a fellow Dutch camper who learned the word 'buff' for the first time last night.

Yes, those bison sure are buff. I saw one right on the side of the road the other day that had a line of cars stopped on either side of the road as he took his time deciding if he wanted to cross the street or not. He stood his ground and we all waited for about half an hour in our hot cars. They always seem so massive and domineering that I was surprised to see a herd of them running, playing, and rolling around a meadow in Lamar Valley. There were about 10 calves (is that what they're called?) in the herd.

Best buffalo moment was two nights ago. Around 9:15, as the sun started to set, we were all making dinner at our campsites, kids were splashing around in the river, and some guy down the way was strumming a guitar. Suddenly, all the noise and chatter stopped and at that moment, my neighbor motioned to the center of our campground, and right there, a massive buffalo was grazing, not 20 feet from my fire pit. Everyone stopped what they were doing and just gazed in wonder at this animal that was so oblivious to all of us. After the initial shock wore off, I finished making dinner and sat down to eat and buffalo watch. My neighbor's 5 year old son, Connor, came over and sat by me (his fancy bike and fishing pole forgotten) with this huge smile on his face. The two of us just sat there for about half an hour watching this 'buff' animal graze his way across our campground. I ate my dinner; Connor picked his nose and ate his boogers. Perfect night.