Dumping Grounds

Well, camping in a National Park does not exactly do wonders for internet capabilities, so now that I am back in a hotel, I figured I would try to catch up with my little travel log I seem to have going.

Iâ??m coming to you live from the Navajo Nation, in Northern Arizona (and well, not quite live since their DSL was knocked out by a windstorm, but at least I have power, so I can sit down and write what I have been up to).

The last two days have been in Arches National Park, outside Moab, Utah. The scenery was spectacular, but the weather left something to be desired. It has been cloudy, rainy, cold and generally miserable. I am fine now, but I now know what a mild case of hypothermia feels like. Itâ??s not fun. The pictures below are all from the hike through the Devilâ??s Garden (abt. 9 miles of climbs, bouldering and slickrock). Itâ??s the longest hike I have ever done, certainly with that level of difficulty, but compared to the day 4 â??lung-busterâ? in Telluride, it wasnâ??t too bad. These pictures are almost universally disappointing, due to the weather, but here are a few for your review, anyway. the first are some indian petroglyphs that I photographed on the way to Arches, but promised an older gentleman who I talked to while there not to tell anyone where they were

Then, some of the more famous arches in Arches National Park…

And finally, a snapshot of a friend we made on the trail, he was an amazingly brave little devil.

Both nights that we spent in Arches were marked by very high winds, very cool temperatures, and lots and lots of rain. I think Alan and I are going to start a company called â??Drought-busters.â? Each and every time that we have been camping together, it has rained. This includes 2 deserts, all seasons, and some truly freakish storms. I think weâ??re going to Death Valley next, and see if we can cause a flood. I am happy to report that all gear worked as advertised, and the temps were actually pretty comfortable, although when the wind is blowing hard enough to blow sand underneath your rainfly, up to the top of your tent, and THEN through the mesh window you have up there to be deposited on your (not so sleeping anymore) faceâ?¦ that is some unbelievable wind. There were several re-stakings of tents during the night, the addition of extra tie downs, etc. We were set up in sand, so it wasnâ??t the most solid foundation.

Upon leaving Arches today, we encountered rain, rain, and more rainâ?¦ only to be replaced byâ?¦ you guessed it, snow. It was snowing when we stopped for lunch, but had warmed up and significantly cleared off by the time we hit the Navajo Nation, and Arizona. We hit Monument Valley tonight, which was so impressive it almost made up for the piss-poor weather we had at arches. Yes, there are some damned impressive pictures, but itâ??s only because I had such amazing stuff at which to point and shoot. There is no camping in Monument Valley, and it is not run by the Parks Service, but is actually a Navajo Tribal Park. Not the same types of facilities, but when you are surrounded by landscape like this, who cares?

We pretty much scrapped our remaining agenda today, and added some new stops (further south) that weâ??ll make on the way back. Should be fun.

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