Rio Santa Barbara

Sunday, August 19, 2012.  Today I would hike up the Rio Santa Barbara.  It's a river that flows through the northern part of the Pecos Wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains which are part of the Rocky Mountains.  My hike would start at 8,800 ft elevation and I would reach about 9,900 ft. and the total hike would be 11 miles.
Here's a picture of the trailhead.

For the first couple miles the trail stays close to the river.

The trail climbs up above the river and I can look down and see a fly fisherman trying to catch a brook trout.

Back on the trail I continue my gentle ascent.

I come to an opening and stop to admire the views of the mountains.  When Maddie comes to visit for spring break Suzanne and I would like to take her on her first backpacking trip and camp out at this spot.

Back on the trail I see a local rancher riding his horse.

A chipmunk checks me out as I hike by. Probably hoping I'll drop something to eat.

Bluebells are always worth a picture.

Back on the trail the views are spectacular.

What a wonderful day for a hike.

Finally, Chimayosos Mountain comes into view.

I just can't help looking around and admiring nature.

In order to get back to my truck I must cross this 30 ft. bridge.

Once I get across I have a decision to make. Yogi Berra once said "if you come to a fork in the road (trail), take it" so I did.

This nodding sunflower spoke my name.

Back on the trail with only one more mile to go.

These Aspens were just too picturesque to pass up.

And that brings me to the end of my hike along the Rio Santa Barbara.

Best Friends

Memorial Weekend, May 25-28, 2012.  The title "Best Friends" has multiple meanings in this post.  I would be camping and hiking this long holiday weekend with my best friend of 10+ years, Suzanne and Hazel Doggie would be camping and hiking with her best friend Dooley.  Together the four of us would be camping near, and hiking through, the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary near Kanab, Utah.  It is "the nation's largest no-kill safe haven for displaced, homeless or unwanted domestic animals." It's where the TV show "Dog Town" was filmed. Please take a few minutes to check out their web site at    http://www.bestfriends.org/index.htm

The sanctuary is over 3,000 acres dedicated to the well being and rehabilitation of dogs, cats, horses and many other unwanted animals.  Once the animals are ready they are adopted out to qualifying people.  The people who work there are very dedicated and many of them are volunteers who spend their vacations helping in any way they can.  The sanctuary also leases the surrounding 30,000  acres from the Federal government to insure that no development takes place and to provide additional wilderness for wild animals to be safe in.  This is the view from the main parking lot and you can see how wild it is kept.

There are a lot of trails throughout the property for hiking and all dogs are walked on them twice a day by the volunteers.  Suzanne and Dooley are walking along a two tracker on our way back to my truck after hiking down to the river.

Also on the sanctuary property is a huge pet burial plot called Angels Rest where thousands of pets were laid to rest.  There are lots of chimes hanging in it and the music they constantly play is beautiful.

We spent a whole day touring and hiking and petting.  We plan on spending a week or two volunteering as soon as it can be arranged.  Not far away Suzanne is getting the tent ready.  The wind was making it difficult by somehow we managed.

The views in Southwestern Utah are spectacular.

The rock formations have some strange shapes.

The colors and lines make them picture worthy.

Next we go hiking at the Parowan Gap Petroglyphs near Little Salt Lake.  Petroglyphs are etchings in rock that native people made to commemorate events or to represent calendars or for a variety of reasons.
Here are some of the ones we saw at Parowan Gap.

Here you can see some strange looking people and snakes and many mysterious things.

Next we went on a four mile hike through the desert mostly to give the doggies some much needed exercise.  Afterwards we commemorated our "Best Friends" adventure with this group picture before heading home.

Camping in the Ojito Wilderness

Saturday, April 21, 2012.  It is going to be a good weekend for night sky viewing so I drive to the Ojito Wilderness for a camping trip.  This place is so remote that there is zero light pollution to interfere with seeing stars and planets.  It's much too hot here in the summer so spring is the best time for a camping trip in this area.
Once I get there I find a nice secluded spot to set up my tent.  You can see my truck in the background.

The view from my tent.

About 20 feet away this lizard enjoys the warm sun.

Perched in the tree above this rock wren was singing a beautiful song.

 I decide to go for a hike and take in the scenery.

Lot's of desert with mountains off in the distance.

It doesn't take long before I notice that the barrel cactus are in bloom.

I get in real close to show just how beautiful a cactus flower can be.

I don't know what kind of wildflower this is but it sure was nice.

Indian Paintbrush are one of my favorite wildflowers.

Another nice Indian Paintbrush.

And a closeup.

Here is a picture of a flowering Barrel Cactus and an Indian Paintbrush sharing the same ground.

A caterpillar eats a wildflower for lunch.

This spot had a lot of different wildflowers and a cholla cactus.

And that brought me back to my campsite.  I had time to make some dinner before I set up my tripod and astronomy binoculars.  Later, after the stars came out, I was able to see many deep space objects like Saturn, the Perseids, Orions Nebula, the Sombrero Galaxy and much more.  It was a very fun weekend.

Kitchen Mesa

Sunday, March 25, 2012.  It will get to 80 degrees today so I decide to head over to Ghost Ranch to hike the Kitchen Mesa Trail.  Its only about 3 1/2 miles one way but it has some steep uphill that can get difficult.  The trailhead has the typical high desert look of the southwest.

When I get up on top I will be looking down on that mesa.

I may not be real high yet but I certainly don't want to misstep and fall down here.

Now I have to hike up and over this saddle.  The red sand is very loose and I have to be careful not to slip.

Once I crest the saddle you can see how steeply it falls off on both sides.

I take a break and enjoy the view before heading down the other side.

This canyon can make me feel small at 6'2".  These boulders are 15-20 feet tall.

Its hard to believe that this grass found enough dirt in a crack in the rock to grow.  Out here in these conditions life must really struggle to take hold.

Back to my hike I look ahead to the next segment.

As I get closer my destination  looks higher.

I will eventually get up on top but it won't be easy.

Its finally time to start the uphill part of the hike.

This will require some rock climbing and boulder hopping.

And now to get up that crevice.  It will take a secure grip and strong arms and legs.

I make it and look back down on my progress.

Hiking around on the mesa top these dead trees look like sculpture.

Looking down I can see Ghost Ranch where my hike started.

I take a break and enjoy the view of Abiqui Lake to the south.

As I begin the hike back to my truck I reflect on what a great day its been and how fortunate I am to be able to share it through pictures with my grandchildren.